Vulnerability
by Tyigra
Summary: Watanuki hates being so vulnerable, and hates even more that he has to crawl to Doumeki all the time for help. What he doesn't realize is that dragging his feet every step of the way is putting Doumeki in danger too... WxD, DxW. Finally Complete!
1. A Splash of Cold

The Jist: In which a great deal of stress teaches Watanuki how to let go of his pride.

Standard Disclamer: Sometimes borrowing other people's characters is more fun.

Rating: PG for scariness? Watanuki X Doumeki. Shounen-ai in later chapters, if I write any. Which of course depends on reviews.

* * *

Vulnerability

An xxxHolic fic by Tyigra

Chapter 1: A Splash of Cold

The night's storm had been ferocious, but by the next day things looked to be just another pleasant spring afternoon. All the better, in Watanuki's opinion, because he wasn't spending it playing Mahjong at Doumeki's family's temple like last week. Not that it had been so bad a memory; the good fortune that came from the sound of shuffling tiles had at last been enough to help the lady ghost of the sakura tree to cross over. Watanuki smiled to himself at the memory of the storm of petals that washed over the players as she vanished, finally at peace. He and Kohane-chan had been worried for her, and the news had made the child-medium's sad countenance lift into a soft, gentle smile. Those fond memories almost made up for the fact that he had lost horribly at Mahjong and been scared out of his wits when Yuuko demanded, with a wicked glint in her eyes, that the loser had to strip. The thought of being completely exposed in front of Yuuko made him think of predators approaching cornered prey. The thought of being naked in front of Doumeki, however, made him burn with humiliation.

"What a fascinating string of expressions," said a deep, deadpan voice directly behind him. Watanuki leaped high, high up into the sky before collapsing on the ground again and pointing an accusatory finger shakily at the object of his last thought.

"D-D-D-D-D-DOUMEKI!!!" The stoic man had his fingers in his ears already, knowing perfectly well the high-volume response he was about to receive. "WHY DO YOU ALWAYS SNEAK UP OUT OF NOWHERE????"

"Since when has walking back from school been considered sneaking?" he retorted, eyes staring off to the side in disinterest. "Just because you were having so much fun making strange faces doesn't mean you should lose all awareness of your surroundings."

"I was NOT making strange faces!" Watanuki spat back, looking for all the world like an angry cat with its hackles up. The thought amused Doumeki, and the tiniest bit of a smile curled the corner of his mouth. "I WASN'T! Stop SMIRKING!"

"If you say so," he replied, the bored expression back as if it had never left. Watanuki burned with fury and shook his fists animatedly at Doumeki's back as the taller teen walked past him.

"Why are you walking home now, anyway? What happened to archery practice?"

"Canceled."

"Student Council?"

"You know they only meet once a month."

"NOO! Why is Himawari-chan always busy and not you? Why does the world try to push my darling Himawari-chan and I apart? Why does the world always try to push YOU and I together???"

"Who knows?"

"It's not fair!!" Watanuki finished with a resigned sob, his head and hands drooping towards the ground. They walked in silence until their paths diverged, one heading to a temple and the other heading to a job. As the distance between them grew, however, one of them came to a stop and turned, watching the other's retreating figure until it was out of sight. Seeing no danger come to the other, he resumed his walk, face as unreadable as always.

* * *

As Watanuki entered the shop that could only be seen by those who needed it, he was immediately bowled over by a blast of Yuuko's pipe smoke and an overly affectionate Pipe Fox. Laughing against the tickling fur and barrage of kisses the tiny creature was inflicting upon him, he waved the smoke away and looked up at his employer, resplendently dressed as always in sultry, flowing garb. "What's up, Yuuko?" he asked with surprise. "You don't usually greet me at the door."

"I have a very special errand for you to run, and you'll have to leave immediately if you're going to make it in time," she replied, her eyes dark and serious despite her smile. She was holding a folded piece of fine-quality paper, folded shut and sealed with a wax. An insignia of a butterfly was pressed into the wax: Yuuko's sign. "Do you remember how to get to the fortune teller I introduced you to?"

The memory of a butterfly shaped handkerchief flying by itself, and a kindly old lady with gently smiling eyes popped into Watanuki's mind. "Ah, I think so."

"Then please deliver this to her without delay," she commanded, handing the letter to him. It felt oddly heavy. Watanuki's brow wrinkled slightly. "What is your question?"

When Watanuki first started working for Yuuko he might have jumped at that, but now he was used to his employer reading him like an open book. "If you really need to get a message to her quickly, wouldn't it be faster to use the telephone or a message spell? Or even the Fan of the Tengu?"

Yuuko gave the boy a knowing smile. "Who said that this paper contains a message that can be spoken? Who said that it is something that can travel by magic? You need know only this: that you must deliver that letter and place it into her hands as quickly as possible. When you have completed that task, you are free to leave for the day."

"Oh…okay," he replied, not feeling quite as enthused at the thought of getting off early as he usually would be. "What will you be doing for dinner, then?"

"We will manage," she laughed. Watanuki turned and headed for the door, which wasn't far considering that he hadn't even stepped out of the entryway. "Oh, and Watanuki…"

"Yes?"

"The Pipe Fox will be needed for a different task this evening."

"…Oh." Watanuki felt a little hesitant as the little guardian gave him one last peck, then twirled down his arm as he handed it back to Yuuko. That meant that he would be completely alone for the journey, with no way to protect himself from hungry spirits. Well, there was nothing special about the moon's phase or today's date that he knew of, so maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

Yuuko's half-closed eyes gazed into his. "You could always ask Doumeki for company if you're scared…"

"LIKE HELL I WOULD!!" he exploded, his nervousness forgotten. In a huff, he spun back to the door and flung it open, ready to begin his errand at full speed.

"Don't forget, Watanuki," the Space-Time Witch called out in parting. "Rather then worrying about that which we cannot change, we should instead focus on doing whatever it is that we can."

For a second, Watanuki had the most peculiar impression that it was not him that she was referring to.

* * *

Having already passed the shop where the fortune teller used to conduct business, Watanuki was trailing down the path that he remembered taking when they had followed Yuuko's handkerchief spell. Warily he glanced at an oozing blob as he passed it, but it was too weak to cause him much grief. A black spot darted across the street from one shadow to another, making him jump, but he breathed a sight of relief when it contented itself by just watching him pass. For some time now Watanuki had felt hungry, cruel eyes on the back of his head, but whenever he turned to look there was nothing there. Quickening his pace once more, he rounded another corner, getting closer to his goal. It was very close now, not much longer…

"_Beautifulllllll…_"

He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes darting wildly. He could see nothing, and yet his skin was crawling against the presence of something horribly evil.

"_Skin like cream, does it taste as sweeeeeeeet?_"

Watanuki felt himself break into a sweat and begin to shiver at the same time.

"_Let me taste your flesh so soft, let me drink your tears so hot…_"

"Oh no…oh no, oh no, oh no!" Finding his feet once more, Watanuki broke into a run. "I'm so close! Where is it?"

"_Your cries are like fragrant wisps of the ecstasy to come._"

Houses whizzed by, their occupants blissfully unaware of the darkness that was rolling over the streets like a fog, chasing a lone figure in a black uniform. Watanuki clutched the envelope tightly as he sprinted, terror threatening to rob him of his senses. Whatever was chasing him was very powerful, and he knew in his heart that if it pinned him down there would be no escaping this one. Struggling to keep his fear from turning into panic his wild eyes darted back and forth, looking for something familiar. In the far distance he could see the taller buildings of a shopping district, which at least gave him a vague idea of where he was. He was still on the right track; it had to be around here somewhere! Fog rolled around his feet and began to rise higher and thicker.

"_Don't run, my succulent morsel. I shall cherish you, every bite._"

Suddenly, in the corner of his right eye he saw a shimmering light. Turning his head he saw none other then the house he was looking for! It was surrounded by a glowing nimbus that he didn't remember seeing when he had been there with Yuuko. Something Yuuko had said recently flickered through his mind.

"Splitting that right eye in half didn't just improve your vision."

Could it be that he could see that welcoming light now only because Doumeki had given him half the vision in his own right eye to make up for the loss of Watanuki's? "We'll share the burden," he had said.

Watanuki felt a strange feeling wash over him like a cool wave, a feeling of being defenseless and unresisting. He was so helpless. "How is it that Doumeki is always saving me, even when he's not here? I can't…"

As he crossed the boundary into the fortune teller's yard, the evil presence vanished in an instant. Falling to his hands and knees, Watanuki gasped and shivered with remembered fright. Normally he reacted to aggressive spirits with anger, but for some reason, this one made his stomach knot and twist. The last time he had felt such evil was in the presence of the Master of Spiders, but back then the Pipe Fox had been with him, and he had been concerned only with saving Zashiki-Warashi. This time he was alone and…those whispered words seemed to promise far worse then mere pain.

Finally Watanuki's breathing slowed and the strength returned to his legs. Picking up the paper, he returned to his feet only to realize that the fortune teller was standing right in front of him, her face gentle and sympathetic. "Will you be alright, dear?"

Brushing the dirt off his knees, he found his smile and restored it to his face. "I'm better now, thank you," he said softly. Extending his arms, he placed the sealed letter into her hands. "But I would appreciate it a lot if I could stay here for a while."

"Of course! Come in and have some tea. You've had quite a fright, and it will help calm your nerves."

Inside, Watanuki settled onto a cushion beside the low table. A teacup was already placed there, and the tea was already hot and ready. The fortune teller poured the steaming drink into his cup, waiting for him to finish it off before she poured one for herself and a refill for him. Satisfied that everything was all right, she turned her attention to the letter, breaking the wax butterfly and unfolding the thick paper. Curious, Watanuki peered over to see what was inside. It was a drawing of a flower, beautifully rendered in flowing ink.

"What is it?" he asked, eyes wide. The fortune teller smiled at him and placed two fingers over the drawing's stem, as if she could pick it up. Then, to his surprise, she _was_ picking it up! As he watched, the graceful drawing transformed into a real flower, of a color so beautiful and indescribable that it brought tears to his eyes.

"This is a 'Flower of Saints.' It has the power to bring comfort to the dying, easing their pain and sorrow so they can cross safely to the other side." She stood and began to walk towards the back of the house. "Would you like to come see?"

Watanuki followed her out the back door, into the quiet fenced yard. It was very small, dominated almost entirely by an enormous sakura tree. It must have once been a sight to behold, but apparently it had been struck by lightning in last night's storm. The massive trunk had been ripped in two, the lines of its rings clearly exposed inside the two jagged halves. It had been in the flush of its bloom when the storm hit, but now every petal that had not yet fallen was dry and wilted. He could feel the tree's pain rolling toward him in waves that made him clutch his head. The tree was dying, painfully and slowly.

The fortune teller gestured for him to stay still then approached the injured tree. Placing the Flower of Saints at its base, she clapped her hands together and said a prayer over it.

As he watched, the flower twitched slightly then ever so slowly began growing roots that reached into the ground. Picking up speed, the roots grew stronger and leaves began sprouting from the stem. Suddenly the flower was growing like nothing he'd ever seen: vines reaching and climbing around the tree, higher and higher, clinging to the splintered edges and wrapping itself lovingly around the split trunk and every branch. When the tree was completely captured in the green embrace, hundreds upon thousands of breathtaking blooms sprouted and blossomed over its entirety, granting the dying tree a second spring of unparalleled beauty. The flowers began to glow with their own radiance, brighter and brighter until, like a celebration of fireworks, the sparks exploded and scattered in a thousand glittering stars, falling up into the sky. The tree was gone.

Watanuki realized that he was crying freely. The fortune teller took his hand and led him back into the house as he made a token effort at wiping away his tears even though he didn't really feel embarrassed. Another cup of tea was presented and gratefully accepted, both staring into their cups with faraway expressions. At last the little old lady picked up the dishes and Watanuki stood up to leave, still lost in thought. They bid each other farewell, she with greetings to Yuuko and a promise to repay her with a fortune, and he with thanks for the tea and the beautiful sight. On the streets once again, Watanuki was surprised to discover that only an hour had passed. If felt like he been there all evening.

So lost in his thoughts was he that it wasn't until he was three blocks away that he felt the evil aura return, black fog rolling in around him.

"How the HELL did I forget?!" the teenager gasped as he turned around to run back to the shop, only to be cut off by a wall of oppressive blackness.

"_You will not escape that way again, my delicious delight._" The voice seemed to come from the blackest part of the fog. Choking down the returning terror that threatened to overwhelm him, Watanuki spun around and took off away from the spirit at top speed. Wind rushed around his face as the scenery blurred around him. He ran like his life depended on it, which it most certainly did, but still creepers of fog were catching up to him.

"_Your resistance fuels my hunger! Scream, that I may taste the first of all you have to offer!_"

"Why didn't I ask the fortune teller for a charm?" he cursed himself, even though he doubted a mere charm would hold against this monster's power. "Why didn't I insist that Yuuko let me borrow the Pipe Fox?" In his peripheral vision he could see the fog roll higher around him. His head swung wildly from side to side as he searched for anything that could help him, but the street was deserted and stretched on for eternity. "Surely there's something! Anything! Anyone!"

Suddenly he was falling, the fog wrapped around his legs like a solid appendage. He hit the ground hard, only barely shielding his head with his arms to keep from cracking his teeth on the ground. He thrashed his feet but they were held fast by limbs that felt both burning hot and freezing cold. As the fog crept higher he tried to strike it with his hands, but the fog surrounded him and pinned them down too. Watanuki realized that he couldn't see the street anymore. He was in a world of fog, with no escape.

Something like a hand pressed against the nape of his neck. "_So delicious…where should I start?_" The top button of his black uniform jacket was suddenly ripped away.

"Someone…somebody…h..h..he…" For some reason, a memory popped into Watanuki's head of the time Yuuko took him, Doumeki, and Himawari-chan on a vacation to the beach. The whole trip they persistently tried to make him ask his rival for help, even going so far as to terrify him speechless, but somehow he had managed to save his pride and never say those two words. Finally they told him that if only he had uttered them, and Doumeki responded, a contract would have formed between them that would have kept away all the spirits for the day. Watanuki had almost forgotten about it, because he knew there was no way he would ever, ever come crawling to that jerk.

The last button popped, and the terrifying spirit started in on his white shirt. He could feel breath as repulsively moist as a bog and as deathly dry as the desert blowing against the bare skin of his chest. Something like a wet tongue rasped across his pale skin, leaving a vivid red burn and causing him to shriek in pain against the acidic touch.

"_Delicious…truly delicious! Nothing else can compare! Such screams! Such flavor! I shall never find another meal as perfect as you!_" the monster roared in ecstasy. Suddenly Watanuki forgot what pride was. Tears of pain, sorrow, and unbelievable fear were coursing down his face. If only he could see those glaring, annoying eyes once more! Once again he felt that defenseless, unresisting feeling that he had felt before, that splash of cold as his heart leapt into his chest. There was nothing else he wanted in the whole world more then for Doumeki to be here, right now!

"DOUMEKI!!!" he cried out with all his strength. "HELP ME!!"

The monster laughed.

The boy's burning chest shook.

The monster's grip tightened on spread-eagled limbs.

Its head lowered once more.

His eyes clenched shut.

And then the darkness was pierced by a radiant light.

Opening his eyes in disbelief, Watanuki watched as blast after blast ripped holes in the world of darkness. The evil creature screeched in pain and surprise, but the attacks continued relentlessly, giving the monster no chance to recover or escape. The view of the street returned as the fog burned away, but the arrows of light did not let up until the last shred of darkness evaporated with a fading scream. Silence rushed in to fill the void.

In the sudden silence, he could hear footsteps running towards him. They grew louder quickly, and in a few moments a human figure entered his vision, standing over him with a longbow in his hands.

"Dou…meki?"

The bow was tossed to the ground as the figure fell to its knees over him, fingers curled in agony as they hovered over the boy, unsure of where to start. The figure on the ground was a sight to see; disheveled hair soaked in tears, eyes large and red, shirts ripped open to reveal pale skin with a large, blistering burn.

"How…did you…find me?"

Doumeki's usually half-lidded eyes were wide open for once, his brow wrinkled so tightly that Watanuki wondered if he was mad with him.

"The eye we share," he said curtly, his voice so tight it was a wonder he could speak at all. "I couldn't reach Yuuko, so I've been trying to find you by the locations you've seen, ever since the monster first appeared."

_That long_, Watanuki thought. _The moment I was alarmed enough for him to see what I see_. As Doumeki helped him to sit up, he was once again afflicted by that splash-of-cold feeling. It made his heart twinge, that feeling. Complete and utter willing vulnerability. All his anti-Doumeki defenses were gone, and he didn't try to work them up again. Instead, once he was sitting up, he twisted enough to wrap his arms around the man he so stubbornly disliked, buried his face in Doumeki's uniform, and shook with wracking, tearless sobs. He would have cried, but he had no tears left.

What felt like an eternity later, Doumeki overcame his surprise and wrapped his arms comfortingly around the physically and mentally exhausted boy. They sat that way, in the middle of the deserted road, for a very long time, letting the purifying powers of the one slowly wash away the evil taint that was still poisoning the other.

_He finally asked for my help_, he marveled. _I don't know if I would have found him in time if I hadn't heard his voice. I don't think I could have defeated that monster if we hadn't formed that contract_.

Dusk was settling in before Doumeki moved and, seeing that the spirit's burn was all but gone, carried the sleeping Watanuki on his back to his family's temple. Surely his treasured friend would appreciate not being alone for once, especially tonight.

* * *


	2. Kiss of Life

Thank you everyone who left reviews! They were greatly, greatly appreciated! Here's the second chapter, and things are starting to get exciting!

Standard Disclaimer: xxxHolic, I disclaim thee.

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Vulnerability

An xxxHolic fic by Tyigra

Chapter 2: Kiss of Life

Watanuki's eyes fluttered open when a flash of light disturbed his sleep, and the following crack of thunder chased the rest of his drowsiness away in a snap. "Storming again?" he muttered as he sat up, rubbing his eyes and reaching for his glasses. They were right beside him, but the floor they sat upon was not his. Placing them upon his nose where they belonged, he looked around now that he could see. It was a room in Doumeki's temple, he realized, as this wasn't the first time he had awaken to find himself tucked into a futon by his rival. Turning to look behind him, Watanuki was not surprised to see Doumeki sitting against the wall, his head bowed in sleep. The dim light made him realize morning had come, although it was heavily overcast with storm clouds. Marveling that the other boy could still be asleep despite the thunder, the memories of yesterday suddenly crowded into Watanuki's mind.

Breath hitching in his throat, he felt the top of his head down to his neck begin to burn. Had he…had he really begged _that annoyance_ for help? Yes, he most certainly had. Had _that pest_ really seen him utterly helpless and at a monster's mercy? Yep, definitely. Had he really curled up in _that infuriating man's_ arms and cried like a little baby? Oh crap, he had. _That beast_ had carried him here, too, probably like a princess what with that burn on his chest. Speaking of which…

Watanuki looked down. He was still wearing the white shirt from his uniform, which was missing all its buttons—he'd have to get another before he went to school this morning—but on his chest was only a fading pink mark from what had been a festering burn. How…that's right, it had been caused by the touch of an evil spirit. Doumeki's spiritual power must have eradicated the miasma that had been burning his skin. Watanuki felt the humiliation that had set his face aflame vanish in a splash of cold, leaving him pale instead. If _that_…if Doumeki hadn't been there…he could've…he would be…

Another crash of thunder jolted him to his senses and Watanuki stumbled to his feet. Breakfast! He should make breakfast. And lunch, too, he still had to make lunch for Doumeki, like he did everyday. Surely nobody would mind if he used the kitchen again. Had it only been a week since he had cooked in there for Yuuko as punishment for losing Mahjong? Seriously, that time felt like it had been months ago. So many things were happening…don't think about them. Cooking! That was a familiar comfort!

* * *

Doumeki awoke to the smell of rain mixed with something delicious, and took in the empty futon with his usual calmness. He felt oddly tired, and was surprised at himself for not waking up earlier. Well, he had used a lot of whatever power it was that he had yesterday: perhaps defeating such a powerful monster took enough strength to drain him like this.

A visit to the kitchen rewarded him with an interesting sight. Watanuki's hair was tied back with a handkerchief and his shirt tied closed under an apron, his face serene as he stood by the stove, absorbed in whatever it was he was tending that was making such a delicious smell. As he watched, the boy ladled a sample into a tiny dish and took a sip, eyes closed as he tested the taste and temperature. On the counter stood a stack of bento boxes, already tied up in a cloth bag for travel. The table was set as well, and laden with enough food to serve as breakfast for his whole family. Arching an eyebrow, Doumeki walked in and pulled out a chair.

Watanuki startled and spun around. "Oh, you're awake," he said nervously, wiping his hands on his apron. "Um, I kind of made too much, but I thought maybe your parents would appreciate breakfast as well?" He turned the stove off and ladled out a bowl of miso soup for each of them. He joined Doumeki at the table and an uncomfortable silence descended upon them.

Doumeki watched his friend fidget under his stare, and made a decision. Snatching up a rolled egg, he popped it into his mouth and enjoyed the taste. "It's good," he declared, his expression bland as always. "You'll make a good wife some day."

Watanuki stared in shock as Doumeki counted down from five in his head, then erupted just as the unheard number reached zero. "WHAT THE HELL??!! $!!!" The tirade exploded in a variety of colorful expressions that bounced off Doumeki's impenetrable wall of patience like the rain that was rolling down the roof. The silence gone, he resumed eating the handmade breakfast with pleasure. Watanuki, still muttering between every bite, eventually began eating as well.

"You should be (bite) grateful that I, Watanuki, have so thoughtfully deigned to (scarf) prepare you such a rare treat! But noooooo, you (slurp) inconsiderate beast that you are, can't even appreciate (chew) the enormity of this gift!"

Doumeki patted his lips with his napkin and stood, finished. "Thank you for the meal. It was delicious." With that, he turned and walked away.

"What, that's it?" Watanuki sulked. Doumeki paused in the doorway, looking back with his half-lidded eyes.

"I'm going to invite my parents down before the food gets cold. They've been wanting to try your cooking ever since I told them about the lunches you make."

For some reason, Watanuki couldn't think of anything to say to that.

* * *

So it was that shortly afterwards, the two boys could be found walking together to Yuuko's shop in the pouring rain, under the same wooden umbrella, Watanuki grumbling every step of the way.

"Why couldn't I be sharing an umbrella with Himawari-chan? Just the two of us, huddled together against the rain…the thunder would boom and she would clutch my arm in fear…ahhh…but no! Once again I'm stuck with _you_!"

"Sorry. I only have one umbrella," was the unenthused response. There was mercifully no wind, so the rain was falling straight as a sheet instead of gusting under and soaking their pants. "If it bothers you that much can't you pick up another one from Yuuko?"

"Ch! Like I'd trust anything kept in Yuuko's shop. She probably doesn't own anything that isn't cursed or something, and I gave Kohane-chan my umbrella. At least it's quicker to get to Yuuko's place then to mine. I'm glad I left a spare uniform there."

The rain was still coming in sheets when they reached the wooden fence that surrounded the Shop that Grants Wishes. It was a beautiful old house, surrounded on three sides by towering concrete buildings as if hidden between them. They paused at the opening in the fence, looking in. "I'll be back in a flash," the slimmer boy said as he handed over the lunch box and ran out from under the umbrella's protection.

Doumeki said nothing as Watanuki stepped over the threshold into an empty abandoned lot and vanished entirely from his sight.

The moment he entered the boundary of Yuuko's shop, Watanuki was startled by the sudden blast of sunlight and cessation of rain. He paused, his arm still raised to ward off the pouring water from his face, and looked around in surprise. In mere seconds the weather had changed from torrential floods to blue skies. He turned and looked back towards Doumeki, but the other boy was still standing under his umbrella in the rain, staring inwards with unseeing eyes. The sheets of water were falling up to the boundary of the fence…and not even splashing to the other side.

"What is hell is this?" Watanuki pondered. "Yuuko's shop isn't spared from foul weather…she definitely wouldn't put up with the summer heat if it was! So why…"

Brows furrowing in confusion, he turned and walked into the familiar shop. Maru and Moro hopped out and greeted him with their usual synchronized cheer.

"Mistress isn't back yet!"

"Mistress isn't back yet!"

"What happened to your shirt?"

"What happened to your chest?"

"Ah!" Watanuki realized that his shirt had fallen open again and quickly closed it up again. "It's nothing. I just stopped by to get my spare uniform before school starts." With that, he turned and ran down to the room he slept in whenever Yuuko made him spend the night so he could cook her breakfast. Although, admittedly, sometimes he stayed there just to avoid returning to the lonely place he called home. Pulling out his spare, he quickly changed clothes and buttoned them up properly, then ran back down to the entrance. "By the way," he asked suddenly as he stood in the open door, "I don't suppose there's a nice, normal umbrella in here I could use?"

"Why?" the soulless dolls asked in unison, peering around Watanuki to look at the clear sky. "It doesn't look like rain."

"Ah…nevermind." Brows furrowed again, he ran back out the door, across the yard, past the fence, and back under the safety of Doumeki's umbrella in the cold, wet storm.

* * *

The longer they walked the path to school, the more suspicious Watanuki became. That was the third house they had passed with a housewife frantically pulling down laundry that had been hanging out to dry. Every time, the futons, sheets, and clothes all looked like they had only begun to get wet. Other students, on their way to school just like he was, were running with their school bags over their heads, shouting in surprise to their friends about the sudden rain. Something was definitely odd.

"Say, Doumeki," he began softly, "do you get the feeling that his rainstorm is…unusual?"

"Yeah."

Feeling braver, he probed deeper. "Like maybe it's only falling over us?"

"Yeah."

Watanuki pondered quietly to himself as their walk continued, even forgetting to hunch his head in an effort to look as miserable as possible to be sharing an umbrella with a guy. _Have I missed the Zaraki-Warashi's birthday or something, to make the Ame-Warashi mad at me? Do Warashis even _have_ birthdays?_

"Ame-Warashi, are you out here?" he shouted tentatively into the rain, but no rain-sprite appeared. "I suppose not. Her rain isn't so unnatural that it wouldn't fall on Yuuko's place."

Doumeki's eyes suddenly sharpened, his brows knitting in concern. "This rain didn't fall over Yuuko's shop?" he asked with an edge in his voice.

"N-no," the shorter boy replied, a bit surprised at the other's sudden reaction. He was scanning the empty stretch of street with eagle eyes, as if expecting something to jump out at any moment. "I don't think we have to be too worried, though, it's only rain."

"Just like yesterday it was only fog."

Watanuki felt a flash of terror rip through him like a spark of electricity, his eyes darting through the rain looking for glowing eyes and grabbing tentacles. He didn't even realize that he'd pressed up against Doumeki until he turned and saw his own hands wrapped tightly around the other boy's arm. Apparently embarrassment trumped fear, because he let go so fast you'd think he'd grabbed onto a burning coal.

It was at that moment that he let go, while they were walking through a shallow puddle, that Watanuki disappeared with a splash.

* * *

He was surrounded by water as far as he could see, which was only a few feet because the water was _dark_. A dim light came from up above, and looking up he could see a small circle of sky in the shape of a puddle. Doumeki was up there, his figure rippled by the water as he dropped the umbrella and obento on the ground and fell to his knees, lips forming words that he could only assume was his name. A hand broke through the watery boundary, reaching for him. Realizing that he was in trouble, Watanuki thrashed through the liquid world and reached out, fingers brushing against the offered help. The hand grasped his firmly and pulled him upwards and—

BAM!

Watanuki recoiled, rubbing his sore hand. Doumeki's hand had passed through the boundary easily, but his own had run into a solid surface! Swimming upwards, he reached for the exit but found only an impenetrable barrier. Doumeki reached down again and took both hands in own, pulling gently this time, but once again the smaller boy couldn't be pulled out.

Doumeki cursed, trying to figure out what to do. Since he could repel spirits, the boundary didn't affect him, but whatever was attacking Watanuki was powerful enough to keep him in, even when they were linked together. He didn't have his bow either, so he couldn't break the barrier with his spiritual arrows. He could only stare at the impossibly deep puddle that had appeared at his feet as Watanuki slowly ran out of air. Air! He needed to get air down there before his friend drowned!

The umbrella? It was very large umbrella, meant for more than one person, and while it wouldn't fit through the puddle fully opened, it would if he closed it halfway. Picking it up, Doumeki released the catch and lowered it through the water, letting the air underneath get caught in a bubble. Watanuki quickly took the hint and pulled it down, craning his head into the bubble and taking several grateful breaths. However, a great current of water suddenly rushed upwards, spinning him around and blasting out of the puddle in a great spray. When it died down, both boys realized that the umbrella had been blown inside out, all the captured air gone.

Whatever was doing this wasn't going to make this easy, Doumeki realized. Untying the cloth around the bento, he removed the top layer of the box and flipped it upside down, the neat rows of food falling haphazardly into the lower layer. Seeing Watanuki covering his mouth and nose, his face screwed up pain, he pressed the lacquered box into the water, carefully holding it flat so the air couldn't escape. Once more, a few breaths were gained, only to have a torrential current upset the lid and send it spinning out of sight. But this time, the current was pulling the boy downwards, out of reach and into the pitch-black depths.

Watanuki thrashed against the invisible limb that was wrapped around his leg, knowing for certain that whatever was down there had a large mouth and sharp teeth. If only he could speak! Surely if he could say that stupid begging phrase again, Doumeki would be able to pull him out. Where were all these super-strong spirits coming from?

He heard a splash, and a shadow blocked the pale light from above. Looking up, he felt his heart leap into his chest. Doumeki had jumped into the water and was swimming downwards as fast as he could. He caught up in a heartbeat and grabbed Watanuki's wrist. The boy pointed at his foot with his other hand, and the other nodded. Reaching down, he chopped through the water with his hand, and Watanuki felt the invisible tentacle let go. Quickly they both rushed to the surface.

Unfortunately, Watanuki's head still crashed against a solid wall. The pain made him gasp in a lungful of water, and he immediately began to choke and thrash. Doumeki cursed and took a great breath before he ducked back under and grabbed Watanuki's head in a firm grip.

Upon feeling a gust of air being forced into his water-filled lungs, Watanuki stopped thrashing and just coughed, trying to spit water out without more rushing in. The presence over his mouth and the hands left, only to return a few seconds later. Once more blessed, blessed air rushed in, and he breathed it in desperately, clutching the object in front of his face that Doumeki was using to get air to him. It felt like hair.

Like hair?

Suddenly Watanuki was afraid to open his eyes. Again the object and hands left, and again they returned, bringing much needed oxygen with them. But now Watanuki was very, very conscious of the fact that the object covering his mouth felt very much like another pair of lips, and that his hands had very, very likely been pressing against the back of Doumeki's head. No, better not open his eyes. As long as they were shut he could continue receiving the air he needed to live. If he opened them…he would have no choice but to drown.

* * *

Doumeki decided that his friend was taking it rather well. He'd half expected him to explode and push him away once he'd gotten enough air to pull his wits together, forcing him to use brute force just to keep him alive. Instead, Watanuki was frozen stiff, eyes closed as if he was pretending this wasn't happening, although his beet red face betrayed that lie. Whenever something began to pull Watanuki downwards, Doumeki punched and sliced at the water until it let him go, and whenever Watanuki looked like he was running short on breath, Doumeki shared another lungful mouth-to-mouth. He frequently tested the surface of the puddle with Watanuki's hand, but every time the boundary still held the shorter boy inside. Things were beginning to look worse for the two of them. Doumeki was feeling the strain of exhaustion, and Watanuki was beginning to look dizzy from too much carbon dioxide mixed in the air he was breathing.

_My head feels funny_, Watanuki thought. He was floating in a world of darkness, although he could no longer remember why he wasn't supposed to open his eyes. Every now and then something wrapped around his leg and he felt like he was being pulled through the thick air that he was floating buoyantly in, but then it would always let go and firm hands would pull him back. There was something wrong with the air he was floating in…he was only allowed to breath when he was being kissed by the owner of the firm hands. Why was that, again? He couldn't seem to remember. Water. That was it, he was in water. Water wasn't good for breathing. He couldn't breath water. But he _could_ breath kisses. But he mustn't open his eyes, or the kisses would stop. Why would the kisses stop? He couldn't remember.

The kisses seemed to be taking longer to come. When he was pulled down, it seemed to take longer for the firm hands to bring him back. Watanuki wondered why that was. For some reason, he really wanted to open his eyes. There was some reason why he couldn't, but since he couldn't remember what it was, he decided to ignore it. The glowing light hurt! Maybe that was the reason. There was a shadow in the light. It seemed to be the owner of the firm hands, because he was being pulled toward the light, and he recalled that the light was a good thing. The shadow seemed to enter the light, pause a moment, then come back down. The firm hands held his face again, and Watanuki realized it was time for another kiss, when the form stopped in surprise.

_Oh, is this why I wasn't supposed to open my eyes?_ That's right, he recalled something about the kisses stopping if he did. Perhaps he should close them again, although it was probably to late. Before he could ponder that much longer, the figure leaned in anyway and he was breathing again, so it must not have mattered. His eyes were beginning to sharpen a little, and he could see that the figure was familiar, but he couldn't quite remember why. It looked very tired, and that make Watanuki feel sad for some reason. Wishing to make the figure feel better, he wrapped his arms around it, and it drew back in surprise. Wide, bloodshot eyes were rimmed with heavy shadows, and Watanuki had a strange feeling that it was his fault. Maybe the figure needed to breath kisses too, and couldn't because Watanuki didn't give him any back? He should fix that.

And so it was that in the midst of an endurance marathon involving fighting off a powerful water monster and bringing air to his drowning companion, an exhausted Doumeki suddenly found himself being genuinely kissed by a half-conscious Watanuki.

* * *

Before his sluggish brain could truly process the situation, there was a flash of light as the two were suddenly expelled from the puddle and landed hard on solid, wet ground. An angry growl could be heard coming from the pool of water they were laying in, but even that quickly faded out.

If anyone had walked by at that point, they might have wondered what two boys in black high-school uniforms were doing lying in a puddle and gulping down air like it was going out of style. They lay there for some time, Doumeki recovering his strength with rest and Watanuki recovering his senses with fresh air.

"What just happened?" Watanuki finally asked, staring up at the clear blue sky. After a long pause, Doumeki finally answered.

"I guess a kiss can be a contract, too."

"Wh-wh-wh-what KISS??" Watanuki shot upright faster then a bullet, looming over the other in his usual over-reactive manner. "You were just giving me air! That's doesn't count!! There was NO KISSING INVOLVED!!!"

"I know that," the stoic man replied, finger in his ear at the outburst. Then a hint of a smirk curled the corner of his lips. "But apparently you didn't."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING AB …bout…"

There was a pause, as Watanuki dredged up the fuzzy memories from when the poor air was affecting him. He'd been really out of it, but he seemed to recall…

Oh.

OH.

OH!

"!!!!!"

An enormous flock of birds took off in surprise at the massive shout that ripped through the air. Watanuki stood with his hands over his mouth, every inch of skin not covered in sopping wet clothes glowing redder than a tomato. People's heads popped out of windows and peered around corners, alarmed at the noise. Just boys playing hooky from school, they decided, and disappeared as quickly as they could.

"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

* * *

I live for Reviews! Well, more like I write for them. REVIEWS!!! 


	3. Help Me Help You

After a horribly long wait, here is the next chapter. Things are starting to become...steamy.

Disclaimer: Naturally, a marvelous story such as xxxHolic is none of my doing.

* * *

Vulnerability

An xxxHolic fic by Tyigra

Chapter 3: Help Me Help You

Watanuki was staring at the morning sun as it lit the wall of his room at Yuuko's shop, mind blank. Yesterday he had come here instead of school, for four very important reasons:

1. He was already several hours late for school, so there seemed little point in going.

2. Yuuko wasn't here, so he wouldn't have to put up with her selfish demands or prying questions.

3. It was still Yuuko's shop, which meant he was safe from monsters.

4. Doumeki couldn't follow him here.

Watanuki reassured himself, for the umpteenth time, that numbers one through three were just as important as number four, and had not been thrown in just to justify his actions to himself. He came here because he needed to recover from that ordeal and rest. _Not_ because he was too embarrassed to look Doumeki in the eye and wanted to get away from him as soon as possible. The fact that the aforementioned infuriating man had followed him all the way here, even though he was walking as fast as he could go without actually running away from him, and was probably waiting for him again this morning, was most certainly _not_ the reason he was lying on his adopted futon and considering skipping school again.

"Watanuki," Maru and Moro whispered, peeking in his room with twin expressions of worry creasing their faces. "You're going to be late."

He sighed, finally crawling out from under his warm covers. It was unlike himself to sleep in this late. _I won't even have time to make Doumeki's lunch_, he reflected as he got dressed. _Honestly, I'm throwing that whole incident way out of proportion. Maybe I should just try to pretend it never happened._

He was visibly dragging his feet as he emerged from Yuuko's shop and trudged across the yard. Sure enough, Doumeki was waiting at the gate, arms crossed and eyes staring into space. With a sigh, he forced himself to stand up straight and stepped boldly across the border into the other's sight.

Doumeki's eyes traveled up and down Watanuki's form, noting the dark-rimmed eyes and lack of a bento with his usual cool expression. "Running late?"

"Sorry," slipped out from Watanuki's lips before he realized that he was actually _apologizing_ to _Doumeki_. He turned and started down the path to school without looking to see if the other was following him. It was quiet for a moment, then he suddenly heard footsteps advancing quickly towards him. To his surprise, Doumeki grabbed his arm and spun him around, piercing golden eyes staring fiercely into his own surprised blue orbs.

"Say the words," he growled curtly.

"What?"

"The words. For the contract. Yesterday you almost died because you couldn't speak underwater. Say them now, while you still can."

"I…" Watanuki turned his head, averting his eyes. There was nothing wrong with Doumeki's reasoning, it made perfect sense, but he really, really didn't want to listen. That annoyingly perfect man had saved his life twice in two days, and somehow he himself had messed up and kissed him for it. Wasn't he already humiliated enough? Did he have to come and pour salt in the wound?

To his great astonishment, Watanuki felt a hand grip his chin and force him to look back into the other boy's eyes. Memories of yesterday's ordeal flashed in his mind and he felt a touch of heat begin to flush his cheeks.

"You almost died yesterday, and the day before that. I'm not going to let it happen again. We're not moving from this spot until you form a contract."

At this point Doumeki leaned in entirely _too close_. Watanuki's mind couldn't decide if it wanted to shut down or go into overdrive.

"Your choice which one."

Watanuki's face must have caught on fire, because that's what it sure felt like. "H-H-H-H-H-H-HELP ME!" he gasped loudly, trying to pull his head back but unable. He started to raise a prayer of thanks to whatever deity was listening when Doumeki pulled back and stood straight again, but stopped when the hand let go only to pat him on the head like a child.

"See, I knew you could do it," he said with his usual emotionless face, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice. Watanuki's jaw dropped, his eyes turning as red as his face.

Doumeki walked past his friend and resumed the walk to school, counting down in his head and then putting his fingers in his ears. Safe from being seen, a smile crept on his face for the black cat that was following him to school, hissing and spitting with its hackles raised for the entire trip. He wondered if the other boy even noticed the feeling of purity and calmness that surrounded the two of them, strong enough to keep even powerful spirits at bay.

* * *

This time they made it to school without seeing so much as a soul. Watanuki was almost disappointed, because it meant Doumeki was right. They separated and went to their own classes, but the feeling that they were still sharing each other's company never went away. Every few minutes Watanuki would relax, comforted by that presence, then tense up and berate himself for being happy about it, then relax again. 

By lunchtime, Watanuki's emotions were in a wreck.

A favor sent by the gods caused Doumeki to be called aside by the archery coach to talk about an upcoming contest, allowing Watanuki to at least be free of the real thing. He bought some bread from the school cafeteria before heading down to the spot where he usually ate lunch. Himawari was already there, and the realization that he was going to be able to eat alone with her raised his spirits.

"Himawarichan!!!"

She looked up and smiled. "Watanuki, how are you? You missed school yesterday…"

"Ah, that." Good mood crushed. "I had a slight mishap, but you don't need to worry."

"Oh. Doumeki took care of it?"

"Yeah, he—wait, WHAT? What makes you think that?"

"He was absent too, so I figured you two were together. Was it a job for Yuuko?"

"No, she's off doing her own thing right now," Watanuki said with a frown. "It was just an aggressive spirit. I'm sure I could have handled it by myself."

Himawari poked at her store-bought bento, an unreadable expression on her face. "You didn't make lunch today."

"…I woke up late."

"I see." She prodded her food a few more times in thought, before looking up and flashing a dazzling smile. "In that case, would you like some of mine? I bought too much this morning."

Watanuki basked in the brilliance of her smile, tears of joy streaming down his face. "Nothing would make me happier!" He scooted closer, finally glad that his day had been miserable so far if it meant this kind of return on his karma. Himawari-chan held out the bento for him, letting him select a few choice morsels that he consumed as if they were expensive chocolate, to be savored slowly.

Unbeknownst to either of them, a dark cloud swirled round Himawari-chan's food as Watanuki ate it, settling itself around his throat.

The two finished up their companionable lunch just as the school bell rang, so they quickly dusted themselves off and gathered their things. "Ah, it was so nice to be able to eat lunch with you without that infernal Doumeki interrupting us," Watanuki beamed.

"You two are such good friends!" Himawari replied as usual, then turned and ran off to class.

"How? How do you always come to that conclusion?" he sighed, then cleared his throat. It felt a little dry, but then again he did just finish eating. Watanuki decided to stop by a fountain and get one last drink before class started.

Once out of sight, Himawari stopped and peeked back at her dearest friend. "Please," she whispered softly, "please stay friends with Doumeki forever. He's the only one who can keep you safe…from me."

She spun and disappeared into the building.

* * *

Students filed out between the school gates en mass, chattering about their plans for the evening with their friends as they began their journeys home. There was a lighthearted feeling in the air, except from those who were already thinking about homework or other unpleasant things. Two figures came trailing out at the end, heading together for a shop that most would never be able to see. Unlike the other students, these two were quiet; one stoic, the other sullen. 

The silence stretched on as they traveled, other students breaking away on their own paths until they were all alone. Really alone; no evil spirits, monsters or creatures showed their faces even once. The only one who broke the silence was one of the two travelers, and surprisingly, it wasn't Watanuki.

"Well?"

Watanuki looked up in surprise, shifting his attention to Doumeki. His eyes narrowed, but he gave a single nod, then resumed staring at his feet. The silence stretched out once more. Doumeki stared at his friend out of the corner of his eye, brows wrinkling slightly.

"Are you ignoring me?"

The shorter boy stuck his nose in the air, still facing away from the other.

"Are you still mad about this morning?"

Silence.

"Didn't it help?"

Snub.

"I wouldn't really force you to kiss me."

"…"

Doumeki's brows knitted together in suspicion. He turned his head to peer back the way they had come. "Ah, Kunogi-san."

Watanuki spun around, the very picture of a love-struck teenager surrounded by hearts and sparkles. The sparkles dropped to the ground and shattered, however, when he realized she wasn't really there. Eyes like daggers stabbed spitefully at Doumeki as he resumed his trudging walk. Doumeki watched him with a frown. "Are you spending the night at Yuuko's again tonight?" he asked as they approached the entrance to the aforementioned shop. Watanuki shrugged his shoulders, still refusing to look at him.

"I'll be here to walk you to school in the morning, then. I hope your voice returns by then."

Watanuki spun around in shock, but Doumeki was already walking away. He clutched his throat as he glared at the retreating figure, cursing the teen's perceptiveness.

* * *

True to his word, Doumeki's form could be seen standing by the gate the next morning, black uniform a sharp contrast against the concrete wall across the street. Watanuki stood on the other side of the boundary that separated Yuuko's store from the normal world, bento in hand, studying the boy that had become such an important part of his life while he couldn't be seen. Though he had tried every cure for sore throats he knew of, and even some rather unsavory ones suggested by Maru and Moro, his voice still had not returned. What a stroke of horrible luck! If he couldn't talk, that meant he couldn't speak those embarrassing words that would protect him. He couldn't form a spoken contract and…Watanuki's eyes wandered over Doumeki's lips…there was _no way_ he was performing that_ other_ contract. Not over his dead body. 

Taking a deep breath, he crossed the threshold into Doumeki's vision, refusing to look at him. Doumeki felt no such compunction, however, and stared good and long at Watanuki, taking in the dark circles under his eyes, the tightened jaw, and the tensed posture.

"I take it your voice still hasn't returned," he remarked, and received a murderous glare that _dared_ him to suggest the other option. He scratched his head and stared off into the distance, letting a great sigh escape through his nose. Leaning over he picked up what had been propped against the gatepost, unseen from inside; his longbow. "Let's go, then."

Watanuki blinked in surprise, only jerking into motion once the other boy had started firmly in the direction to school. _He's not going to force the matter like he did yesterday? Not that I'm not grateful, but…_ he jogged forward to take his spot by the other's side. How strange. He'd been so prepared to fight tooth and nail against getting any more familiar with that jerk…maybe he had his good moments after all.

"What a peaceful, quiet morning. You should lose your voice more often."

Never mind. Doumeki was an incurable bastard.

They were halfway to school when they came across something odd. In the middle of a secluded road, despite the fact that it hadn't rained since the incident two days ago, was an enormous puddle. There was nothing around that they could see that would cause a pool of water, much less one so large that it took up the entire road. They both stopped several feet away from it, eyeing it suspiciously.

"Do you think we should go around?" Watanuki asked, or at least he would have if anything had come out when he opened his mouth. Doumeki seemed to understand, though, as he turned to his shorter companion with a frown. "We can take a detour around here, if you don't mind being late." The other nodded, and they turned to backtrack to a different path.

There was an enormous puddle back the way they had come, taking up the whole street. Doumeki cursed under his breath. Watanuki marveled at how quickly that monster could cover the whole street without them noticing. The two of them were standing on a small paved island in an urban pond. Ripples swirled around them like circling sharks.

"I don't think so," Doumeki muttered as he drew his longbow and dry-fired at the underwater menace. A spiritual arrow lanced into the water as if it really were a pool, rather than a shallow puddle on top of pavement. There was a loud squeal of pain as the water splashed and frothed, then exploded like a fountain, splashing all over Doumeki as he moved protectively in front of Watanuki. The cry petered out into a whine, then faded away entirely as the water returned to the normal calm surface of an undisturbed puddle. The sudden silence was almost painful to the ears, until it was once again filled by normal noise. The birds began chirping again. A few streets down, a car whooshed past.

Now that the danger was over, Watanuki noticed abruptly that: 1) Doumeki was soaking wet, and 2) he was being clutched against Doumeki's chest. His own hands were clenching the other boy's wet school jacket tightly. His first reaction was to push Doumeki away as hard as he could, but as soon as his grip began to loosen on the other's jacket a new emotion suddenly screamed in his head: _Don't let go! It's safe here!_

_Huh?!_

Doumeki looked down in surprise. He was holding Watanuki in almost a lover's embrace, and in his experience only two things were likely to follow in this situation. Either he would get shoved away and Watanuki would be very huffy (well, huffier) for the rest of the day, or Watanuki would start shaking and/or pass out and he would worry about him (well, worry more) for the rest of the day. But Watanuki seemed to be neither perfectly fine nor shaken up. He was just…standing there. Letting himself be held.

_Don't let go. Something bad will happen._

A foreboding feeling was creeping over Watanuki's mind. Something bad was waiting to happen as soon as they parted. He mustn't let it happen. Never mind the fact that he was getting cold and wet being in the other's arms, never mind the fact that he was…was…in the middle of a public street…hugging…another…boy…

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" he burst out as he shoved Doumeki away, beet red and flustered.

"Delayed reaction much?" was the stoic boy's reply as he tried to wipe some of the water out of his hair. He began inspecting his bow in order to further ignore the glares being directed at him. "If I knew that was all it took to get your voice back, I would have done it sooner." Watanuki stared at him in open-mouthed shock at the realization, and Doumeki couldn't hold in the tiny smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Come on, we can still make it to school on time," he said as he walked past.

Normal ripples spread out around his feet as he treaded through the puddle that had worried them so much only a minute ago. Watanuki stared from his dry spot at the retreating back, still speechless but for a different reason than before. That Doumeki! He was such a…a…

_You fool! You've killed him!_

"What?" was all he could murmur at the sudden sense of doom that descended upon him. Looking up, he spotted a dark creature wrapped around the top of a power line pole, glaring down at Doumeki with a deep scowl. It looked like a lizard with too many legs, menacing red eyes and two hands like scythes. As if sensing Watanuki's gaze, it turned its head and pierced him with its hateful gaze. Then its mouth broke open into a vicious grin made mostly of teeth.

"No," he breathed in realization. Watanuki's eyes flew back to Doumeki's back, but he felt like he was moving in slow motion. "DOUMEKI!! RUN!"

He continued to stroll forward, oblivious to the danger he was in. It was as if he couldn't hear the warning, even though Watanuki was shouting as loud as he could.

Needle-like fangs glistened as the monster's grin grew wider, if possible. A scythe-like hand raised up high, pausing in the air in anticipation. Watanuki started to run forward, but couldn't. A glance down revealed that the dry patch of pavement had bubbled up and melted around his shoes, holding them fast. Panicked eyes flashed up to the creature, whose own eyes were gleaming in victory.

"NO!!!" his cry echoed in his ears and must have finally reached Doumeki's, because his head began to turn to look back at his friend. Watanuki didn't see the monster's hand as it dropped like a sword, but he heard the snap of the power line and the crackle of released electricity.

Too slowly…everything was happening too slowly! The severed end of the power line was falling like a down feather on a still day. Doumeki's head had turned enough that his expression could be seen; he was smiling playfully, such a rare expression for that unreadable face. It would have been a treat any other time, would have made Watanuki's heart skip a beat, which in turn would have made him mad, but now it just make him yell louder and fight harder to slip out of his shoes.

One foot out…hurry! Why was this happening? Was Doumeki was being targeted because he was keeping the monsters from their real target? But he was strong enough for both of them, wasn't he? Why couldn't he, Watanuki, help? Doumeki could protect him, but he couldn't protect Doumeki? Why not?!

Belatedly Watanuki realized, as he struggled with his second foot and the power line fell a few feet more, that the pesky contract _was_ his way of protecting Doumeki, and all this time he had been refusing to cooperate because of his own stupid pride. He refused to ask for help when he obviously needed it, while Doumeki never complained even though it made things so much harder for him.

Now it was going to be the death of him.

The cord was within five feet of the ground now.

Doumeki had turned far enough that his eyes could meet Watanuki's.

Four feet left.

His eyes were full of confidence from his recent victory, a fondness warming them as he looked upon his friend.

Three feet left.

_You needn't worry_, they seemed to say.

Two feet left.

_I'll always protect you._

One foot left.

_That's a promise._

And then electricity and water met, and it was not beautiful like Raijuu's parting gift had been. It was not beautiful at all.

* * *

When Watanuki awoke, it was in his makeshift room at Yuuko's house. Maru and Moro were standing over him, twin expressions of sorrow on their faces. "Watanuki finally woke up," they said in unison, but with none of the mischievous cheer they usually had. 

"Watanuki wouldn't wake up, no matter how much Maru and Moro shook him."

"Watanuki was crying in his sleep."

"Did Watanuki have a nightmare?"

The boy in question opened his mouth to tell them he was living a nightmare, but nothing came out. Surprised, he tried again with no result.

"Is Watanuki's voice still gone?"

_Still gone? But it came back yesterday…wait. Nightmare?_ Stabbing himself with his glasses, he pushed them on and snatched his watch up so fast he almost sent it flying across the room. According to the little abbreviation at the top, it was still the same day as the attack, but the time claimed it was morning; almost time to leave for school. _Was it a dream? How much of it? The whole morning?_

_Could it be that Doumeki's still…_

Hardly daring to hope, he threw on his clothes in record time, grabbed his school bag and ran out the door, breathing hard. He couldn't see anyone at the gate, but there was a shadow on the ground that might be from someone standing just out of sight.

_Please, let it be him…_

He practically flew through the gate, skidding to a halt as he turned to see the source of the shadow.

It was Doumeki.

The broad-shouldered boy was staring in surprise at Watanuki, startled by his dramatic entrance. He arched an eyebrow as he took in the dark circles under wide eyes, the gasping breaths, and disheveled clothing.

"Sleep in late?" he remarked as he was stared at like he had dyed his hair pink. Watanuki just gasped for breath like a goldfish that had jumped out of its bowl. "I take it your voice still hasn't returned, then." He scratched his head and stared off into the distance, letting a great sigh escape through his nose. Leaning over he picked up his longbow, which had been leaning against the gatepost. "Let's go, then."

He only got to take a few steps in the direction of the school before he realized that something was stopping him. Turning his head to look back, he was amazed to see that Watanuki was grasping his uniform sleeve, staring at the ground and trembling all over. He turned completely, leaned his bow back against the fence, and grasped the shivering boy by his shoulders. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Watanuki shook his head, but he was still staring at his feet, his expression hidden by his hair. "Oi, look at me," Doumeki commanded, hunching down to bring himself to eye-level. "Are you alright?"

Watanuki's head shot up at that, revealing his reddened eyes, glossy with unshed sorrow mixed with relief, brows drawn in a kind of furious determination. Before he could lose his nerve or Doumeki could straighten up out of reach again, he snatched his shirt collar and forced their lips together.

Immediately their senses were overpowered by crashing waves of interchanging calmness and exhilaration. They could feel their unique powers flowing back and forth between them, mixing and boosting in strength with each pass. It was like they were standing on the beach with the tide coming in. Watanuki could feel his exhaustion wash away, feel his nerves stop shaking from fear and start quivering from excitement instead. He could feel the burning redness of his eyes cool, could feel the tightness in his throat relax. Why had he never done this before? This was like…like…he couldn't even relate it to anything he'd ever felt before. This was like heaven.

Lips parted and eyes slowly opened. Watanuki realized, with some smugness, that this was the first time he'd ever seen Doumeki looking flushed, breathless, and flustered. He'd finally succeeded in putting something other than a smirk on that infuriatingly deadpan face.

He next realized, which wiped the smugness right out of him, that they were both embracing each other so tightly that there would probably be a popping noise when they parted due to the vacuum. Doumeki had one arm around his shoulders and the other around his slim waist, hand pressing into the small of his back, while Watanuki's arms were around his neck, fingers entwined in his hair. Their legs were as thoroughly entwined as they could be while still standing. With steadily increasing horror, Watanuki realized that something was growing between their tightly pressed bodies, in the general vicinity of…

Doumeki closed his eyes, a painfully purple-red color blossoming across his face until it had infected everything from the back of his neck to the tips of his ears.

He had given Doumeki a hard on.

"Holy shit," he broke the silence, not surprised in the least that their little…make out session…had restored his powers of speech. He was standing in the middle of a deserted street with the boy that occupied more of his waking thoughts and moments than any other person as of late, having just shared with him the most mind-blowing kiss in the history of mind-blowing kisses, with whom he was now wrapped around like Christmas paper, like a banana peel, like a hot dog bun, like a—

Aw, crap, now he was hard too.

Doumeki's eyes snapped open, and Watanuki felt himself turning a matching shade of red. Within .2 seconds they were ten feet apart, smoothing their uniforms and studiously not looking at each other as they tried to disguise their matching…problems. Once they felt confident that they at least _appeared_ under control, they gathered their things and began walking down the familiar path to school.

"Next time," Watanuki finally said to break the awkward silence, "maybe we should try a _written_ contract."

He then had to berate his unsteady heart for performing a triple back-axel when Doumeki actually barked a laugh.

* * *

Reviews are always appreciated! Sorry this chapter took so long, it was rather stubborn. 


	4. The Snowball Effect

Man, each chapter is longer than the last. This one was hard, but the best yet! Thank you everyone who reviewed, I really love your encouragement!

Standard Disclaimer: This is only what I wish would happen. It's up to CLAMP to make my dreams come true.

* * *

Vulnerability

A xxxHolic fic by Tyigra

Chapter 4: The Snowball Effect

The tall, graceful figure walked down the path to the Shop with a flourish of exotic fabric. Ever the incarnate of confidence and poise, Yuuko entered and handed her bags to Maru and Moro, who greeted her with their usual programmed enthusiasm. The black Mokona hopped down off her shoulder, followed by the adorable pipe fox.

"Ah, it's great to be home," she said cheerfully to her servants. "How have things progressed while I was gone?"

Maru and Moro exchanged vacant-eyed glances, then grinned mischievously at their mistress. "The avalanche has finally begun."

"It's all downhill from here."

The Dimensional Witch arched an elegant eyebrow. "Oh, do tell. I want _every_ detail. But first, sake!"

* * *

Watanuki felt very odd to be sitting at his desk in homeroom as if it were a day just like any other. He kept glancing around at his classmates, fully expecting them to be staring at him and whispering, as if they could tell what had happened to him on his way to school just by looking at him. Much like yesterday he could feel the contract's effects as if Doumeki was standing right next to him, lending his support and power even though they were in different classes. However, the connection felt much stronger then it did compared to yesterday. Not only was there not a spirit in sight, but Watanuki felt unusually confident, alert, and at peace. Even the eyes that he felt ought to be staring at him did not make him feel uncomfortable, just…giddy.

For the umpteenth time that morning, he relished his new favorite memory: Doumeki the unflappable, short of breath and flushed with embarrassment. He had already conveniently blocked from his memory _why_ Doumeki had been wearing that expression, and the fact that his own had mirrored it shortly thereafter. They were teenage boys, that was all. He giggled softly to himself, not caring that his goofy grin was drawing one or two double-takes from nearby classmates. For the first time, Watanuki felt like he had clashed with Doumeki and actually won.

A few classrooms down, Doumeki was listening to the teacher's lesson with his usual dedicated focus. No one even suspected that he had had a morning any more eventful than any other. He too noticed the amazing increase of his power, and after the lesson was over pondered briefly over the idea that the medium of a contract may affect its strength. He had not managed to forget a single detail of that morning's fiasco, and his mind kept returning to it every time the distraction of class ended. He had been caught by surprise, and messed up. Watanuki hadn't even yelled at him for it yet, which was a sure sign that the boy was in shock and would probably blow up the next time they were together. He hoped he wouldn't do anything foolish, like avoid him. That would make it very hard for Doumeki to keep him safe. Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk. He was confident that he could handle anything the other boy could dish out.

Lunch brought together a cheerful Himawari, an unruffled Doumeki, and a rapidly deflating Watanuki. They eyed each other across their store-bought lunches, whilst Himawari-chan watched with curious eyes.

_It's not fair! Doumeki's just the same as he always is,_ Watanuki thought with disappointment. He berated himself for expecting things to be any different then the status quo. It was _Doumeki_, after all. The guy couldn't be moved by hurricane winds. _He should be studiously avoiding meeting my eyes, or something! Spoilsport._

Doumeki took another bite, meeting Watanuki's glare with his unflinching golden gaze. _He's definitely mad. And not his usual overreacting, ignorable kind of mad. He's only quiet when he's serious. He didn't even greet Kunogi-san!_ That settled it. It looked like he'd have to take measures to repair the damage he'd done. But what could he do to make up for it?

Himawari-chan's eyes wandered back and forth between the two boys, her chopsticks paused on her lips in thought. There was something very different about her two friends today. It was like they'd been in a fight…but if they had, why would they still be eating together? Wouldn't they be arguing, or ignoring each other? They were staring at each other, but they didn't really seem _angry_. Not happy, certainly, but not like they'd shared harsh words. It reminded her of something…what was it? It was like…

"AH!"

Doumeki and Watanuki both jumped in surprise at Himarari's sudden exclamation. They'd almost forgotten she was there. "I've finally figured out what you two remind me of! You're acting just like my parents when Dad forgets about their wedding anniversary!"

The two stared at her blankly as she resumed eating with a smile, happy to have figured out the mystery. "Himawari-chaaaaan, how do you always come to these conclusions? Why are you always trying to pair me off with _him_?" Watanuki lamented, pointing an accusatory finger at the other boy. Doumeki blinked, which was as much surprise as he ever showed, and watched as his friend settled back into his normal routine. _Guess he wasn't that angry after all,_ he decided.

* * *

"Yuuko-san! You're back!" Watanuki exclaimed as he removed his shoes at the entryway and stumbled inside. "I was starting to wonder what you were up to!"

"Watanuki! Right on time! I finally located a—what on earth have you been up too?" she derailed mid-sentence. "You're practically…glowing."

"Eh?" He stared at his employer blankly as she approached, resplendently dressed as always, and took his chin by her long fingers, turning his head side to side as she inspected his face. Her half-lidded eyes were unreadable. "Have you finally started accepting Doumeki's aid? His power is practically oozing out of your every pore."

"Oh. Yeah. Well, with you and the pipe fox being gone and all, I was having a little trouble with some aggressive spirits, and…um…he helped me out. A little."

"Aww, I'm so proud of you," she declared with a clap of her hands, "but I was rather depending on your spirit attracting powers for your next task." Her lips pursed into a small frown. "I suppose we could try to break today's contract…"

"They can be broken?"

"Why of course, dear boy! Almost all contracts can be nullified by an opposite act of equal force. A spoken contract can be renounced; a written contract can be destroyed; a handshake can be revoked by striking the other party with the same hand; and so on. What kind of contract was it?"

Watanuki grew very quiet, and rather red. Yuuko let him squirm for a few moments, enjoying it immensely, before she cut him some slack. "Oh well, it feels like a rather strong one, so it would probably be more trouble then it's worth to break. We'll just start out fresh tomorrow morning, since you have no school." He breathed a sigh of relief.

"In the meantime though, someone's missed you!" Watanuki looked up just in time to see the long fuzzy tube that was flying straight at his face. "WAAAAGH!"

Yuuko laughed as the pipe fox smothered him with 72 hours of unspent affection.

* * *

"He is _not_ my date!" Watanuki yelled to the disappearing Yuuko as he, Doumeki, and the pipe fox were carried away by the Tengu fan. "You are _not_ my date!" he clarified to the date in question, who merely shrugged as the winds died down and revealed their new location. Before them arched a colorful sign proclaiming the entrance to their destination: Spirit Carnival. Beyond it stretched crowds of inhuman families, happily milling the streets between the old-fashioned rides, games, and booths. There was a smell of grilling meat and ice cream in the air. Watanuki had anticipated popcorn and cotton candy, but found he actually liked this better. He felt reassured upon seeing that some of the oddly garbed patrons were carrying staves; Doumeki's unstrung longbow shouldn't look too out of place.

"Can you see them?" he asked his companion. Doumeki turned his head and nodded. "Just like the Hyakki Yakou, then. We're really in the spirit world." He shifted the velvet drawstring bag he was carrying into a more comfortable position. Inside it was the prize that Yuuko had taken several days to find, a mirror that cast no reflection. On his shoulder, the pipe fox perked up and pointed his head toward the entrance. With a sigh, Watanuki gathered his resolve. "Well, let's get going. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can leave."

"Actually, Yuuko said it would be five hours before this place brushes close enough to the real world again to teleport us out."

"_Fine_. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can find a place to hide and wait out the remaining time in _safety_. Let's just go already!" The pipe fox flew eagerly ahead, flying in circles as it beckoned them forward. With mild trepidation they followed it under the archway and into the crowd. Curious faces turned to watch them as they went by. Little children of strange appearance stared openly and turned to their parents, chattering excitedly and pointing at Watanuki. He felt his face growing red and inched closer to Doumeki. "Why are they all staring at me? Is it that weird to see a human here?"

"I think you're just famous. Look, that one's got a quill and paper. Maybe he's going to ask for your autograph."

Watanuki grabbed Doumeki's arm and hurried faster after the pipe fox.

A few winding paths and open courtyards later, they found themselves in front of an enclosed attraction called _The Maze of Mirrors_. The pipe fox sniffed the air a few times before perching on Watanuki's head, satisfied that it had found their target's hiding place.

"Exactly where Yuuko thought it would hide," Watanuki muttered as Doumeki fished out the tickets they had been given and handed them to the funhouse operator. It was an odd little creature who reminded Watanuki of the Dream Buyer, except for the fact that it had elephant ears and… really, really sharp teeth that flashed brightly as it grinned at them and allowed them to pass. _Just act normal_,he chanted in his head.

They were in. It was time for the hard part to begin.

Everywhere they looked there were mirrors casting reflections of nervous looking Watanuki's and indifferent looking Doumeki's. The former felt a brief flash of annoyance at how much cooler the latter looked. The latter was paying no attention at all and was busily re-stringing his longbow. Watanuki's annoyance faded as he was reminded of the task at hand. They had to capture a monster that lived in mirrors and blinded anyone who met its gaze, and it had plenty of mirrors to hide in. As per Yuuko's instructions, they were wearing clothing with no buttons, no belts with buckles, no watches, or anything else that could be remotely considered a reflective surface. With a reluctant sigh, Watanuki removed the magic mirror from its velvet pouch and put his glasses in the bag instead. By the time things were finished, there could only be one exit for the monster. Well, first things first: they needed to find the center of the maze.

The mirrors were all about eight feet tall, but there was plenty of open space above them for the rafters and lights. The pipe fox flew up and over, scouting out the exit and finding the middlemost spot in the maze. Meanwhile, Doumeki raised his bow, aimed it at the mirror closest to the entrance, and fired nothing at it. The spirit arrow materialized just before it hit, cracking a spider web pattern across the mirror's surface before it simply turned to dust. Watanuki was surprised at the lack of noise; he'd been preparing for a horrid crash and the pinging sounds of fallen glass, but this method rendered the mirrors silently useless. Doumeki aimed again, and another one turned to powder. Watanuki halfway wanted to stay and watch, but without his glasses he could barely see, so there wasn't much point.

The pipe fox returned, flying around his head before it darted a few feet away, leading him forward. Watanuki turned, swayed for a moment before regaining his balance, and followed the beckoning twirl of movement. It led him around several corners and lengths before spinning around his head again and taking off over the mirrors once more. Watanuki stood still for a few minutes before giving up and sitting down, placing the magic mirror beside him on the bag. This was going to be a while.

In the meantime, guided by the pipe fox, Doumeki visited every corner and dead end around the maze and demolished the mirrors one by one. Leaving the center untouched, he went past Watanuki and continued the job, until there was only the middle and the curving path to the exit. Standing by the opening that lead back into the park, Doumeki raised his bow and prepared to cut off the monster's only escape. Now for the real test. The monster had to be well aware that a trap was closing. If he shot this mirror, it would no longer be able to see outside to jump to another reflection there. The question was, would the monster flee to new grounds now, while it could, or was Watanuki a tempting enough prize to risk?

As Doumeki's fingers prepared to release the string, his eyes met his reflection's in the mirror he was targeting. Suddenly the eyes were not his own. Doumeki fired the arrow, but the monster moved quickly out of the shot. The pipe fox let out a distressed squeal.

From further in the maze, Watanuki looked up in alarm at the noise. What happened, did it get away? Did the pipe fox get hurt? What was going on? He bounced to his feet and tried to head toward the exit, but had no idea which way to turn once he came upon the first intersection. Fortunately the pipe fox darted in from above and led him quickly to the exit. Well, it appeared that the furry critter was all right, at least. Rounding the last corner he ran up to Doumeki, who was leaning back against a mirror, staring at the exit. "What happened? Did it choose to leave?"

"No," he said in that infuriatingly calm way of his. "Its still inside the maze. We've got it trapped."

"Then what _happened?_"

"I seem to have lost my vision."

Watanuki was quiet for a good fifteen seconds. "What?"

"I think the monster thought it could stop the trap from closing and still get you if it stopped me from destroying the last mirror. I should have known better then to look directly at my target." At last he turned to face Watanuki, his eyes staring blankly forward, unfocusing, unseeing.

"You're…blind?" the shorter boy asked dumbly.

"Not quite. Now that you're distressed, I can see through your eye. Of course, that's only half my vision, and without your glasses that's kind off…unhelpful."

Watanuki was suddenly struck with the urge to punch Doumeki in the arm and squeeze him tightly at the same time. He compromised by clenching and unclenching his fists, then gripping both of Doumeki's forearms. He tried to say something, but for some reason he couldn't seem to get any words out.

"I can still shoot the mirrors if you'll look at them for me."

Watanuki's grip tightened.

"Once we capture the monster, maybe Yuuko can make it give my vision back."

His grip tightened again, then finally let go. "Fine. Let's do this thing." He turned his head to look at the mirror next to the one by the exit. Doumeki stepped away from the mirror he'd been leaning against and turned the wrong way, then readjusted to the correct direction. He started to draw his bow, then let it relax again. Watanuki turned to look at him again, confused. "What's wrong?"

Doumeki stared blankly in his direction. "Could you stand right beside me? I can't tell if I'm actually aiming at what you're look at."

"Oh. Right." He stepped closer as Doumeki drew pulled the string again. Since he was standing sideways in order to draw the bow, it was more like standing at his back.

"A little closer. It's a big target now, but I'll need better aim once there's less of them."

A touch hesitantly, Watanuki placed his hands on Doumeki's muscular back and placed his cheek flush against his shirt. The bowstring was released and a light shot forth, destroying a mirror, although not the one Doumeki was aiming at. He corrected his aim and fired another, this time getting it right. Satisfied, he proceeded to turn each mirror in the exit hallway to dust.

_This feels weird_, Watanuki thought. Each time the bow was drawn, he could feel the muscles in Doumeki's back and shoulders shift and flex under his skin. Watanuki couldn't think of the last time he'd been this close to anybody for such a long span of time. Not since his parents died, surely. Well, there was yesterday's…incident, but that had been inadvertent. This, however, was very intentional.

Not to mention illuminating. How could he have gone so long without experiencing anything more than a casual brush from other people? Where were the hugs, the kisses, the hours he used to spend sitting in his parents laps? Suddenly Doumeki's back seemed amazingly warm to his fingers, the kind of warmth that only comes from life. Here was someone, not an insubstantial spirit, not a cold wet monster, nothing with fur or fangs or even an imposing presence, just a solid, warm, and very real human being.

They had been moving slowly backwards through the maze, decreasing the monster's territory as they went, and were finally approaching the center of the trap. Watanuki was just starting to feel hopeful when he felt a sharp pain in his back and collapsed to the floor. The pipe fox shrieked and darted angrily over to one of the mirrors as Doumeki dropped to his knees by the other boy's side. "What happened?"

"I don't know! I was just standing there when something stabbed me from behind!" He found Doumeki's hand and climbed back to his feet. "How bad is it?" Doumeki felt the back of his shirt for blood but found only a small hole, no bigger than a drink straw. The edges felt crispy.

"You're not bleeding, at least, but you've got a burn mark."

"What, it's got a laser gun in there?"

"More like a magnifying glass. I think it can condense the light reflecting from so many mirrors into a beam."

"Great."

"It probably takes a while to build up, though. If we knew which mirror it was in we could disrupt it before it can fire."

"I don't think I can see well enough without my glasses to pick out something like that. The monster would just blind me, anyway."

"What do you see right now?"

"Mirrors, more mirrors, the pipe fox flying around…" Watanuki blinked in surprise. "That's it! Pipe fox! Fly in circles in front of whichever mirror the monster's in!" With a victorious chirp, the furry snake spun itself into a target of movement by the mirror it had been trying to attack. Watanuki recovered the bow from where Doumeki had dropped it, then to his surprise found a pair of strong arms wrapped around him from behind.

"I'll guard your blind spot," Doumeki said as he took the bow and began to pull it tight, but Watanuki was still frozen in place. "You'd better stick real close, or the bowstring will clip you. Trust me, that hurts." Numbly, the shorter boy did as he was told. He flinched as the string whizzed past the first time, then watched as the pipe fox target spun out of the way at the last moment, along with, presumably, the Mirror Monster. Doumeki fired at the next mirror and the next, going down the row until the fox chirped and spun in front of another mirror behind them. He wrapped his temporarily free arm around his friend as he spun them around, then took out that mirror and continued down the line.

A curious feeling was washing over Watanuki, even as he stood there serving as another person's eyes while trying not to flinch with every twang of a bowstring. It couldn't really be called _homesickness_, because it wasn't quite a longing for home. It wasn't his parents he was missing either, although it did remind him of them. It wasn't _lovesickness_ either, because that implied lots of sighing and hearts and bad poetry. It was more like…affection-sickness. Being held in someone's arms when he'd been so distant from anyone and everyone for so long was putting a strange lump in his throat. Angrily he scolded himself for letting his mind wander in the middle of a dangerous situation. What was the purpose of getting so sentimental good for anyway?

Besides, it was _Doumeki_. He didn't want anything to do with _him_, right?

Suddenly, as another cloud of dust fell, he realized that they were down to one last 8-foot mirror. It was the one facing the magic mirror that he had left sitting on the floor, forgotten when he had run to the exit. Shining upon its surface, the monster had finally revealed itself. Watanuki was curious as to what it looked like, but his vision was too blurry to make out anything but a dark shape that didn't belong. He couldn't even meet its gaze, because he couldn't see its eyes.

"W-wait!" a raspy, feminine voice pleaded. "Spare me! If you'll just give me your word to leave me alone, I'll return your vision to you! How about it?"

Watanuki looked up into Doumeki's unseeing eyes, but the taller boy shook his head. Watanuki glared at the fuzzy blob. "And what of all the other people whose vision you've already stolen? What about those who you'll continue to rob in the future? No deal. Enter the mirror we brought, or be destroyed with this one!" With that, Doumeki fired his last shot, and the mirror fell to dust. An angry scream withered out of the magic mirror, and it rattled on the floor. Watanuki ran forward, slid the velvet bag out from under it and stuffed the mirror inside. Pulling the drawstrings tight, he held it high and cheered loudly. "We did it!"

"WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!" a voice bellowed from the entrance. The three froze in their tracks. It was the ticket taker from the entrance, the one with the elephant ears. And the really, really sharp teeth. The mirrors all had solid backs to them so they were still hidden in the maze, but the operator was bound to know the quickest way through the maze and catch up to them. Quickly Watanuki grabbed Doumeki's hand and ran for the exit. He was just about to run out when the pipe fox darted in front of him and shook its little head. Confused, he watched as it pressed its head against one of the ex-mirrors near the exit, as if pushing on it.

"WHERE ARE YOU? When I get my hands on you I'll tear you to pieces! Do you know how much trouble you're in?" the creature threatened, his voice moving closer with each sentence. Starting to panic, Watanuki pressed his hands against the pane and was surprised to hear it click and slide back. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he ran into the revealed hallway with Doumeki and closed the panel behind them. It was an employees only area, easily visible from above the mirrors but hidden to anyone inside the maze. They ran down the hallway only to find a row of doors. Each one had a label on it, but Watanuki couldn't read them without his glasses.

"Oh…no," he whispered.

"What's wrong?"

"My glasses are in the velvet bag…with the _mirror_. If I pull them out the monster will come out with them!"

"I HEAR YOU! YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FROM ME!" the ticket taker yelled, even closer. Without word, Watanuki reached for the closest doorknob and turned. It was locked. He tried the next with the same result, and the next, and the next. They were _all_ locked. Just before he gave in to despair, however, he realized that the last one wasn't latched all the way, and pulled it open. It was a small supply closet, full of lots and lots of window cleaner and rags. The two boys crept inside along with the pipe fox and gently, ever so carefully closed the door, making sure it actually latched this time. They hunkered down in the dark and held their breath, waiting.

After a few moments, they heard the doorknobs being tested one by one. Watanuki almost squeaked when the knob to their door rattled, but Doumeki covered his mouth and held him still. The closeness was reassuring, and after pausing to listen for a moment, the creature moved away. They could hear him shuffle back out of the employee area and greet some guards that had just arrived.

"They slipped away only a few moments ago, they can't have gone far! It was two humans and a kudakitsune! Catch them! They've destroyed every mirror in the entire maze!" There was a faint sound of retreating feet, then a loud sigh. "This is going to take forever to clean up!"

The creature shuffled back towards them, now accompanied by the jingle of keys. The closet next to them was opened, presumably for a broom and dustpan. Watanuki thanked the heavens that their closet was full of supplies that were no longer needed. The shuffling retreated, and soon was replaced by the soft sound of dust being swept up.

Watanuki finally remembered to breath again, and sagged against Doumeki's chest. All they had to do now was stay quiet until the time came for Yuuko to summon them back. How long did they have left? An hour? Three hours? Oh man, this was going to take a while. Stuck in the dark in a very small closet, unable to make a sound. A very long while.

* * *

Watanuki didn't even know he had fallen asleep until he woke up with a start. The closet next to them was slammed shut and locked, and the shuffling walk of the funhouse operator retreating further away until it disappeared altogether. He wondered how long he had slept, but didn't dare speak yet. Those elephant ears could still be lurking.

With some embarrassment, he realized that he had been using Doumeki as his pillow, leaning against his chest while Doumeki leaned against the shelves. But there wasn't any room to lay anywhere else, and he really didn't want to move. Doumeki's heart was beating a soothing rhythm under his ear, and Watanuki was still relishing the experience of being so close to somebody. If only his leg wasn't asleep. Carefully, he tried to shift positions and work a little blood into his appendages, but doing so made him put more weight on the other boy.

Something changed. It took him a moment to realize what it was, but once he did it was unmistakable. Doumeki's heartbeat changed rhythm. Curious, he changed position again, shifting over to his other side completely so that he was facing him. The heartbeat was definitely faster than it had been moments before. Doumeki hadn't moved an inch, though, or even stirred, though he was surely awake. Just to be sure, though, he trailed his hand down Doumeki's arm to find his hand, and gave it two taps. There was a pause, then Doumeki gave one tap back. Watanuki smiled in the darkness. Even with things like this he never gave two words when one would do.

Satisfied with his findings, Watanuki set his head back down and listened to the heartbeat slow to normal. Well, that was no fun. He wriggled some more, and the heartbeat sped up again. Still curious and emboldened by the dark, he lifted his hand again and placed it gently across Doumeki's face, feeling his expression. It was just as blank as always, yet the heartbeat began to race. Now this was odd. Recklessly bold now, Watanuki inched a little closer, so that his head was more on level with the other boy's shoulders and their chests were touching. Doumeki's face remained impassive, but a tiny shiver ran through his skin, accenting the thundering heartbeat.

Well! Well, well, well. So the poker-faced jerk _could_ be read! He may have perfect control over his expressions, but he had a telltale heart! Watanuki recalled the raging blush he had managed to induce from him the day before. Could he achieve that again? He wouldn't be able to _see_ it, of course, but he would probably be able to feel the heat off his face. He slid his hand from over Doumeki's face to his cheek and shifted his body even higher. Doumeki tried to turn his face away, so he pulled up his other hand and held his face still. He couldn't balance this way, though, so he pulled one of his legs over Doumeki's so he could stand on his knees, centered over his sitting form. _Come on you infuriating bastard, blush!_

Watanuki felt his age-old desire to defeat Doumeki swell inside him, raging out of control. He leaned his face closer, breathing over his lips, eagerly awaiting the reaction. Yes! Doumeki's face was growing hot under his fingers, his heart beating even faster, erratically. _More, more! Make him loose his cool! Make him crack!_ Letting his knees slide out, he finally sat upon his lap, and felt the hardness that had shocked him so much after their kiss the day before—was it only the day before? Doumeki did a noble job at trying to stifle the noise that escaped through his lips and began to gasp heavily. His feet shifted from side to side as his toes curled in his shoes and his hands tried to grip the floor itself. Watanuki found himself mirroring Doumeki's actions as he gripped fistfuls of hair and tried desperately to catch his breath. He was in pain and it was wonderful and he just wanted to press himself closer and closer and he'd forgotten why he was holding back and he was kissing Doumeki with all his might and their powers were merging and it was ecstasy, pure ecstasy and Doumeki's muscular arms were finally wrapped around him and they were sliding down to his hips and he was pressing their pain together and it was pleasure that made stars flash in the darkness and what was that incessant trilling noise?

The pipe fox had been trying to get their attention, with little success. The sudden banging on the door and jingle of keys had better luck. "I know you're in there, vandals! Thought you could hide from me, huh? You'll have to be quieter then that!" As the key slid into the lock, the boys jumped to their feet in alarm, untangling from each other's arms in the process. Doumeki moved protectively in front of Watanuki, holding his longbow like a staff. The pipe fox made a thankful chirp before grabbing the drawstring bag in its mouth and wrapping itself around the both of them just before it gave off a sudden burst of light.

The carnival creature kicked open the door, his sharp teeth bared in displeasure, but the closet was empty except for a large quantity of window cleaner and rags.

* * *

They appeared a few feet in the air in front of Yuuko's shop, lost their balance upon hitting the ground, and landed in a heap. Yuuko stared at them somewhat quizzically. "Hmm, it would seem that summoning is not as smooth a ride as using the Tengu fan," she concluded. With a groan they stood back up, rubbing their bruises. The pipe fox flew over and presented her with the velvet bag, chirping happily once his mouth was free.

"I take it that the mission was a success, then?" she enquired as she examined the bag. Watanuki looked uncertainly at his companion.

"Sort of. We did catch the monster, but it stole Doumeki's sight first."

"Ah, that is unfortunate." She turned to face another person whom Watanuki had failed to notice until now without his glasses. "As per your request, Mr. Fox Spirit, I have captured the creature who stole your son's vision last week when you took him to the Carnival. I'm afraid the price will not be cheap, as it was quite difficult to find and obtain this mirror, and using it was hard and dangerous work for my employee. But, since your intention was only to keep others from suffering from the same fate, I'm willing to offer you a discount."

"Thank you, Miss Yuuko. We'll serve you oden without charge, whenever you desire it from now on."

"What?" Watanuki exclaimed. "Is that the Oden Fox? It got your son? Is he here?" At the sound of his voice, a smaller blob peeked out from behind the bigger one. "Mr. Watanuki?" the little fox asked shyly. "Is that you? I'm sorry I put you through so much trouble."

"It's nothing, it wasn't that hard. If I'd known this was for you I wouldn't have dragged my feet so much!" He walked forward and took the boy's little hands, pulling him into a hug. He turned his head to face his employer. "Yuuko, can't you make it give his sight back? And Doumeki's?"

"Is that your wish?"

Watanuki's brows knitted in determination. "Yes. I'll pay the price for both of them. You can add it to my tab!"

Yuuko smiled. "Very well," she said as she lifted the bag up to look at it. "Creature, you have no escape. I will never let you see another mirror to flee into, and since this mirror casts no reflection you will never be able to rob another person of their vision. You have two options. Return all the abilities you have stolen and do whatever else I require from now on, or suffer the end of your existence." To demonstrate, she gripped something in the bag and gave it a squeeze. There was a small flash of light as the item vaporized.

"My glasses!" Watanuki yelped in realization.

"Part of your price, my dear," she replied before returning her attention to the bag. "The choice is yours."

There was a moment of silent consideration before the raspy feminine voice could be heard, muffled from inside the bag. "I concede." A great multitude of tiny balls of light erupted through the cloth of the bag, darting off in every direction. Two settled onto the eyelids of the little fox, and two more onto Doumeki's unseeing eyes. He blinked repeatedly as his pupils dilated and focused properly.

"I can see!" the little fox cheered happily. He gave Watanuki another hug before he ran over to do the same to his father, all the while exclaiming "Daddy, I can see again!" His father lifted him up and swung him around, laughing with relief and joy.

"Thank you so much, all of you," the fox spirit said as he clutched his son tightly. "We will never forget what you have done for us. Come, my son, we must tell the good news to your mother!" They trotted paw in paw down the street, turning to wave one last time before disappearing out of sight.

Watanuki lowered his waving hand and turned around, only to jump when he realized that Doumeki was standing directly behind him. "What are you going to do now, without your glasses?" the taller boy asked.

"Oh, um, I've got an older pair back at my apartment. Somewhere. I'll be alright." Of course, the older pair wasn't adjusted for the difference in the eye he shared with Doumeki, but it would hold him until he got a new set ordered.

"Well!" Yuuko suddenly exclaimed, startling them both. "I think that was plenty of work for one day. Watanuki, I'll see you tomorrow! Doumeki, why don't you escort our half-blind friend home? I've got a new toy to play with!" With that, she trotted back through the fence that marked the boundary of her shop, an eager bounce in her step. The two boys watched her go, speechless. They almost felt sorry for the mirror monster.

Inside the shop, the mistress of wishes moved quickly down winding corridors to a room she had already prepared. Maru and Moro greeted her at its doors and followed her in. It was a room with no windows, furniture, and most especially no mirrors. The only thing it contained was a pile of pillows and a cloth-covered stand. Yuuko opened the bag and placed the mirror on the stand, turning it so it couldn't see the door. She plopped onto the pillows and was quickly joined by her two hench-dolls.

"Now, my dear. Although you cannot escape this mirror, its magical nature allows you to still see around you, even through walls and darkness. You can even play back anything you have seen upon the mirror's surface. You understand this?"

In response, the mirror showed an image of Yuuko mouthing the words "you understand this?" Aloud, the raspy voice began to speak. "This mirror casts no reflection on its own, but I can make it display anything I've seen since I entered it. What's your point?"

"Time for someone to reduce his debt a little," she muttered softly, then continued aloud. "Those boys, Watanuki and Doumeki. They looked deliciously unruffled when I summoned them. What were they up to?"

The monster could not display its own expression, but it did replay Yuuko's leer.

* * *

The air was full of awkward silence. The two boys were walking side by side down the quiet street, trying very hard not to get caught as they snuck sidelong glances at each other. Watanuki's eyes darted back after their latest peek, his brows creased with thought. Doumeki was looking just as unruffled as always, yet he now knew that wasn't necessarily true. If he could just hear his heartbeat it would tell him the volumes of words and expressions that never touched the boy's lips and face. But if he were close enough to hear that heart, things might spiral out of control again.

How had this happened? This was_Doumeki_, the one person he couldn't stand. The guy who was infinitely cooler then him, the person who excelled at every class and sport without trying, the guy that could make all the girls swoon just by saying "good morning," the guy who always saw him at his worst. He knew all Watanuki's secrets and was the only one who could help. He was also, as far as he knew, the only person who had ever gotten a _raging hard on_ because he had gotten too close. Twice! No wonder that guy didn't have a girlfriend already.

Wait a minute. Come to think of it, aside from Himawari-chan he was the only person that Doumeki ever hung out with, really. If Doumeki really did swing for the other team, didn't that mean that _he_ was the guy's most likely interest? Did his mind dwell over him the way his own dwelled over Himawari? Was the time he spent helping keep Watanuki safe from monsters the highlight of his day? Did Doumeki _fantasize_ about him? Did he lie in bed at night, his face as expressionless as always, letting his hand drift lower and lower while imagining that it was—

ABORT THOUGHT PROCESS! Abort! Abort!

Watanuki could feel his face burning, but it was too late to hide the blush. He caught Doumeki glancing at him from the corner of his eye before he quickly returned his gaze to the ground. They were practically at his apartment now, another block and he would be home free.

"What are you thinking about?" Doumeki asked.

What kind of sadistic question was that? "NOTHING!" he replied, entirely too loud and a few octaves too high. _Damn my voice!_ "It's been a long day. I just want to find my glasses and go to bed." _No! Don't bring beds into the conversation!_

"It's only mid-afternoon," Doumeki responded sensibly.

"Fine! An afternoon nap, then!" _That's still on the bed! Stop that!_ They approached the apartment and went up the stairs, walking down the hallway to his door. _Just open the door, thank him for his help, and bid him a good night!_ Watanuki pulled out his key and tried to put it in the lock, but it wasn't working. Frustrated, he leaned closer, trying to see better to line it up properly.

"I think you're holding the key upside down."

With a growl, he turned the key over and tried again, but it still didn't work.

"What's your room number?"

"104."

"Ah, you're off by one, this is 103."

With mild embarrassment, he moved down to the next door to try again. As he reached for the knob, he saw Doumeki lean his longbow against the doorframe. A pair of arms wrapped around him and warm hands covered his own before taking the key and unlocking the door for him. Watanuki was frozen in place as it slid inward, creaking loudly until it hit the doorstop. "Door's open," Doumeki said by his ear.

_You're doing this on purpose, aren't you!_ Watanuki screamed in his head. Doumeki was pressed against his back and a heart was beating loudly, though he wasn't sure whose it was. Maybe both? He couldn't seem to move closer or away, just stood paralyzed in front of the entryway. _Please don't ask him in don't ask him in don't ask him in,_ he babbled in his mind, fearing the consequences. He'd always wanted to make Doumeki loose his composure, but he'd never realized what the consequences of such a thing might be!

He found himself being turned around, so that they were standing chest to chest now. For the first time he met Doumeki's eyes without immediately looking away. From this distance, even without his glasses he could see well enough to pick up on the burning heat that was radiating out from his gaze, even if his face held no more expression than usual. Yet he moved no closer.

_What is he waiting for? Do something, say something, anything!_ Like a puzzle suddenly coming clear, Watanuki realized that Doumeki was waiting for him to take the initiative. In fact, he always had. Though it was becoming quite painfully obvious what secret thoughts he had been harboring all this time, he always kept them to himself, kept Watanuki safely oblivious. Like he wanted to preserve the tentative relationship they had, no matter how much he might wish things were…more…

"Oh, just kiss me already," Watanuki ordered with faint annoyance. Doumeki grinned and obeyed with relish. Heated breath was exchanged as arms tightened and lips devoured each other. _So this is what it's like_, the stray thought danced across his mind before petering out unfinished.

Doumeki pulled away just before a neighbor down the building opened their door and exited for the steps. His eyelids were half closed with desire that he managed only by practice to restrain. "I'll, uh, just leave you to your… rest," he said with uncharacteristic hesitation, picking up his longbow and turning before Watanuki could retract his mental vow not to ask him in. If he knew Watanuki, and he _did_, the boy would need some time to work out his thoughts before they got carried away again. He paused at the top of the steps, turning to look back. "I'll be back tomorrow to walk you to school, though. You can count on it." For a moment a gentle smile creased the corners of his cheeks, then he turned and retreated from sight.

Dazed, Watanuki finally turned and entered his apartment, closing the door behind him and sliding down it to sit on the floor. His brain felt as fuzzy as his vision. There was an idea prancing around in his mind, paying no heed to the certainties it was trampling and the long-held-beliefs it was making a mockery of.

How long had be been trying his hardest not to fall in love with that man?

* * *

If you read all and think its fine, don't just think it, drop a line! 


	5. The Rules of Contracts

I decided to sit down and conquer this last chapter. It put up a great fight, but finally surrendered.

Standard Disclaimer: xxxHolic belongs to the ladies of CLAMP, and this is a fanwork made without permission or profit, unless you count the ego-stroking that reviews bring.

* * *

Vulnerability

A xxxHolic fic by Tyigra

Chapter 5: The Rules of Contracts

When Watanuki first met Doumeki, he had disliked him instantly. There had been no particular reason for it, that he could recall, just a split-second, gut reaction. A few moments later he had begun picking out specific things about him that he didn't like, such as his quiet grace, his handsome face, his intelligence, his athleticism, his noble demeanor. All things that should have been positive traits, _would_ have been if it was anyone else, but in Doumeki's case became excuses for the irrational repulsion that Watanuki felt for him. Getting to know him better only made it worse, made him look even harder and more unsuccessfully for the underlying reason behind why he should feel such animosity for such a good person. He couldn't explain it. By all means he should have been his friend. The man was so perfect it made his chest ache.

When Doumeki first met Watanuki, he had felt an attraction instantly. There had been no particular reason for it, that he could recall, just a split-second, gut reaction. A few moments later he had begun picking out specific things about him that should have turned him away, such as his obvious hostility, his irritating mouth, his clumsy flailing, his sickly appearance. All things that should have been negative traits, _would_ have been if it was anyone else, but in Watanuki's case became endearing through the irrational desire that Doumeki felt for him. Getting to know him better only made it worse, made him find more easily and spy more often the kindness and gentleness kept hidden away for other people, never for him. There was no hope for it. By all means he should have given up. The man hated him so much it made his chest ache.

Watanuki attracted his solution as surely as he attracted his problem.

Doumeki repelled the one who needed his aid as surely as he aided him.

It was in their blood. They never even suspected.

Yet even as they came together to amplify their powers, so did they cancel each other out. The feelings that were not their own were diminishing, and as they did, the real emotions that had been taking root under the surface were at last sprouting forth.

* * *

Watanuki felt an unaccustomed sweatiness on his palms as he turned the doorknob of his apartment door to leave for school that morning. Waiting outside would be the man who had somehow turned his world upside down. He had spent the whole evening thinking about him, the whole night dreaming about him, and the whole morning cooking for him.

But upon opening the door, to his great surprise, Doumeki wasn't there.

Watanuki stared blankly at the empty space where his classmate should have been standing. After a moment, he turned his head and peered both ways down the hallway outside his apartment door, his eyes still fully anticipating the black-uniformed silhouette of the man who had promised only yesterday to be there come morning. As far as he knew, Doumeki was a man who took great effort to always keep his promises. So why was he not looking into a pair of burning golden eyes right now?

A brief whisper from a bad dream flickered though Watanuki's mind. _I'll always protect you. That's a promise._

Rather disconcerted, Watanuki locked his door and headed down the stairs. Perhaps he was waiting at the entrance. No? Well, how about the street? Upon reaching the sidewalk he looked up and down the block, and was rather surprised at the sudden sense of relief that washed over him upon seeing Doumeki round the corner. For a moment there it almost looked like he was limping, but upon spotting Watanuki his expression softened and he headed that way, his walk perfectly normal.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Mr. Perfect was running late."

Doumeki studied his face, as if trying to determine if Watanuki was mad or not. He quickly realized he was teasing and leveled a faint smirk in return. "Just thought you should know how if feels for once." Watanuki opened his mouth to make an indignant retort but was cut off as the other continued speaking. "What kind of contract shall we make today?"

Watanuki closed his mouth with a click and averted his gaze, swallowing hard. _Come on, you stewed over this all night. Don't back down now. Be strong!_ Fidgeting with the cloth of his bento, he glanced at his companion. Doumeki was watching him from the corner of his eye, looking for all the world like the answer didn't matter to him in the least. If you ignored the fact that he wasn't breathing, that is.

_Just do it all at once, like ripping off a band-aid._ Staring straight ahead so he couldn't see Doumeki's face and loose his nerve, Watanuki thrust out the bento towards him.

"Please help me."

He could almost hear Doumeki's heart breaking.

"S…Shizuka."

He could definitely hear the sound of Doumeki remembering how to breathe again.

Since he wasn't looking that way, Watanuki jumped a little in surprise when a warm, slightly damp hand wrapped around his own before shifting down to take the bento. In the middle of the flush of color that washed over his face, he felt a touch of smugness with the realization that he had the power to make Doumeki's hands sweaty.

"Shall we go then, Kimihiro?"

Watanuki smiled up at him, rather pleased by the way his name sounded coming from Doumeki's lips. "Absolutely."

* * *

_Shoop-thunk._

Watanuki was sitting on the floor a few feet from Doumeki, who was dressed in his archery uniform. It was still a while before classes started—they had come to school early since an archery meet was coming soon and Doumeki, ever the dedicated member, squeezed in practice every chance he got.

_Shoop-thunk._

The last several shots had all been nearly dead-center. Watanuki had once given archery a try and couldn't even get the arrow to fly ten feet, so he was suitably impressed. It felt rather nice, he realized, to simply admit that he thought Doumeki was amazing, rather than suppressing such feelings and bad-mouthing him.

"Hey… Shizuka."

_Shoop-chink!_

To both their surprise, the arrow that Doumeki had been about to fire just as Watanuki spoke went wild, missing the target by several feet and hitting the wall behind it. Doumeki stared at the errant arrow with an accusatory glare, as if it had betrayed him.

"Ah, sorry. I guess I broke your concentration," Watanuki said apologetically.

Doumeki shook his head and selected another arrow. "What were you saying?"

"Oh, it was…gosh, what was I going to say?" He scratched his head in embarrassment before looking up again suddenly. "Oh yeah. Shizuka—"

Doumeki, about to draw the bow, completely dropped the arrow. It clattered on the ground a few feet from where Watanuki was sitting. The slimmer boy gazed at it in wonderment before looking up at the archer's face. He had closed his eyes (in frustration? Embarrassment?) and was letting out a deep sigh. Watanuki cocked his head in puzzlement before a slow grin tugged the corner of his lips. Getting his feet under him, he collected the arrow and handed it back to the fumbling boy, making sure his hands graced the other's as he asked in a teasing whisper, "what's wrong, Shi-zu-ka?"

The larger hands gripped his own, arrow and all, and yanked him closer. Watanuki's eyes widened in surprise as he met the glare of gold, and suddenly he felt less sure of himself. Did his teasing go too far? Then the stare drifted down to his lips, and he realized, _oh_, the teasing _did_ go too far in a manner of speaking. Doumeki looked very much like a starving wolf about to rip him to pieces. A very strong… powerful…wolf…

Before Watanuki could decide if he was frightened or aroused, the peal of a bell broke across the school grounds, bringing them back to their senses. Doumeki would have to hurry and change to get to class on time. Letting go very reluctantly, he took the arrow and collected the rest. Watanuki remained rooted to the spot, in a bit of a daze, until Doumeki vanished into the changing room. With a start, he quickly gathered his things and headed off to his homeroom.

Angry at himself for loosing his self control, Doumeki slammed open his club locker door and ripped his school uniform off the hanger, almost missing the note that fell out. It fluttered to the floor and landed on his foot, a plain white envelope. Curious, he picked it up and checked the front. In tiny printed letters it read: '_For Doumeki_.' Opening it up, he examined the simple white card inside and immediately his stern features grew sterner.

'_He's only toying with you._'

Glancing around the clubroom he saw no one, nor any signs that anyone else had been in that morning. Doumeki was fairly certain that the note hadn't been in his locker when he hung his uniform up. Had someone been spying on them while he practiced? But the note was typed; it had to have been made ahead of time. Who could possibly know about the two of them?

The only one he could think of was Yuuko, simply because she always seemed to know what her employee was up to. But he could not imagine her leaving such an obviously hurtful note for him to find. So…who? And why?

* * *

Final bell found Doumeki safely in his seat at homeroom, where he stood and bowed with the other students upon their teacher's entrance. First subject began as usual, but for once the model student couldn't keep his attention from wandering. His notebook sat open before him unmarked, his pencil held limply in his fingers as he stared unseeing at the chalkboard. Somewhere beyond that wall sat the object of his distraction, no doubt not listening to his teacher either. Was he thinking about him, too? Or about other things?

In only five short days their relationship had drastically changed. He had felt so desperate when his eye began showing him images of a dark fog descending upon his point of view, _Watanuki's_ point of view, yet no matter how he ran and searched he could not find the boy. Once he had come upon them at last and furiously shot the monster into oblivion, his heart nearly broke when Watanuki, frightened out of his wits and injured, broke down in his arms and clung to him till he at last succumbed to exhaustion. Maybe Doumeki wasn't very good at showing what he was feeling, but why couldn't Watanuki see that he wasn't his enemy? That he wasn't out to make things difficult for him? That he…cared about him?

When Watanuki, barely conscious, had kissed him underwater, he had been caught completely by surprise. While he had been bringing air to the boy, mouth-to-mouth, he had refused to think of it as anything more than the life-saving business it was, though he knew if they survived that ordeal the feel of soft lips would likely plague his dreams for a long time thereafter. The kiss he received, however, could not be mistaken for anything but what it was, and it was a long time before he managed to fall asleep that night.

The kiss he received two days later, however, shocked him to his core. In that one moment the future as Doumeki knew it had expanded to infinite possibilities. For the first time, it seemed, he could let himself entertain his dreams. He needn't necessarily spend the rest of his life being ignored, insulted, and hurt by the one person his life had come to revolve around. He could feel the powers he had no control over erupt like a fountain from his soul and wrap protectively around the boy that he already planned to follow to the ends of the earth, whether he liked it or not. Was he still dreaming? It seemed too good to be true, too unlikely to be happening; yet he could feel the shift in weight as fingers reached up to run through his hair, and the thin body he was wrapping his arms around and pulling tightly to him was firm and warm. For the first time, Doumeki imagined that things really _could_ be different.

And then the kiss ended, and he realized that he had gotten _really_ carried away. Watanuki had just wanted to form a contract; _Doumeki_ was the one who went and turned it into an extremely embarrassing situation. He was infinitely grateful that his schoolmate decided to shrug off the incident instead of holding it against him like he usually would. From now on he would have to be more careful, keep himself under stronger self-control. But the damage he'd done to himself was irrevocable. He'd allowed himself to sincerely imagine a future he'd tried so hard not to dream of. If things were harder from now on, it was his own damn fault.

And then things did get harder. He got his vision stolen. With no other way to finish their business, he was forced to place Watanuki in a no-doubt uncomfortable situation. Arms wrapped around him, Doumeki's battle was more with his self-control than with the object of their mission. Though all he wanted was to savor the sensation, he refused to allow himself the pleasure, instead trying to focus on finishing the task as quickly as possible before he could dream of rosy futures again. But that idiot made it so difficult! First he went and fell asleep in his arms, which was bad enough, but upon waking he kept _wiggling_ and getting _entirely too close!_ It wasn't until Watanuki's face was a few inches from his, breath flowing over his lips in the dark, that Doumeki finally realized he was doing it on purpose.

_Why, you little bastard_, he thought in irritation. _It's hard enough to control myself when you're clueless. How am I supposed to hold out when you're _trying_ to make me lose it?_

And then Watanuki sat on him, and hell broke loose in Doumeki's head. _Why are you doing this? I've tried so hard!_ He thrashed under the other's pressure as his body tried to hold back. _I can't stop dreaming if you keep giving me hope! I can't…can't…_ Suddenly his lips were being devoured, and there was no possible excuse this time.

If Watanuki was going to give him permission to live out the future he didn't even dare to dream, then _damnit_, he was going take up the offer!

The school bell suddenly intruded into Doumeki's thoughts, and he realized he had missed the entire lecture. Frustrated, he decided to take a quick trip to the bathroom to wash his face. Maybe it would wake him up. Besides, those particular thoughts were giving him a… problem.

As he walked through the halls he recalled his walk to Watanuki's apartment yesterday after that incident. He wasn't going to let things slide, that time. Though he could see how embarrassed the other boy was, he knew if he let him escape back to his room without saying anything, he would try his best to reason the incident away and pretend it never happened. _Not this time, my idiot. There's no way I'm letting things return to the status quo now._ And to his surprise, it didn't take much. With no time to collect himself and rebuild his fallen mental walls, Watanuki couldn't hide anymore. There were no contracts, no accidents, and no heat-of-the-moment desires to explain away the kiss they shared on his doorstep. Didn't that mean…he meant it?

He splashed his face with cold water, letting it shock him into alertness. As he pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket to dry his hands, a white envelope fluttered to the ground. He glared at it with a tingling sense of foreboding. There was no way someone could have slipped an envelope in his pocket without him noticing it, unless they had placed it there the same time they placed the other one. In that case, did it say the same thing? The envelope once again proclaimed him to be the rightful recipient in clean type. He picked it up, looking around for anyone who might be watching, but he was alone. There was nowhere to throw it away, and besides, that was a coward's way out. Ripping it open and tearing out the card inside, he schooled his expression and calmly flipped the card over.

Then flung the card away as if he had been burned.

_Impossible!_ He stared at the card as if it were one of the ghosts he was incapable of seeing as it slowly soaked up the drops of water in the sink. _It's…it's just a coincidence!_ Turning on the water, he let the card turn to mush and stuffed it down the drain. Then, somewhat ashamed of his reaction, he turned and headed back to class, shoulders hunched and brooding.

_There's no coincidence in this world_, Watanuki had often said, quoting his employer, _only the inevitable_. But for the card to have had _that_ message, and for him to have read it right then…it was as if the card was not a pre-printed message, but a rebuttal to his very thoughts!

As he settled into the chair at his desk once more, a dark cloud seemed to have settled over him. The day had started out so well. Well, aside from that thorny vine from an unkempt fencerow that almost tripped him up right as a car went by. He managed to keep his feet under him just long enough to avoid being hit, but he still had received a few scratches on his leg that burned his skin all the way to Watanuki's apartment. The pain had vanished shortly after that, though, and they were finally on a first name basis. If he could just avoid any more of those stupid cards, today could still be a marvelous start to his new relationship with Kimihiro.

But still, the message on the card bothered him

'_He'll never 'mean it.''_

* * *

As Watanuki struggled to copy the next line off of the chalkboard onto his notes, he rubbed his forehead for the umpteenth time with a grimace. Maybe wearing his old glasses wasn't such a good idea. The incorrect subscription was giving him a splitting headache. Every time he tried to shift focus from the page in front of him to the board across the room or vice versa, a pain shot through him like someone stabbing a steak knife right between his eyes. Finally he took his glasses off and just covered his eyes, giving up on copying anything else down today. How much longer until lunch? Some aspirin and good food ought to help clear away his headache. And good company.

He must have dozed off that way, for he woke with a start when the lunch bell rang. Never happier to get out of class, he put his glasses back on and gathered his things. After a quick stop by the nurse's office, he raced outside to the usual spot where he and his two friends always ate lunch. Himawari was already arriving, her very presence as uplifting a sight as always.

"Himawari-cha~n!" he called out joyfully, then winced as his own volume hurt his head. "You're looking absolutely radiant today!"

"Thank you, Watanuki-kun! I would say the same, but you look rather pale. Are you all right?"

"Oh, ah," he laughed weakly as they unwrapped the bentou box and set out the blanket to sit on. "I have a teensy bit of a headache. I lost my glasses yesterday and my old pair is disagreeing with me."

"That's terrible," she responded with sweet sympathy. "Have you taken any medicine for it yet?"

"Yeah, just now from the nurse. I'm hoping it will kick in by the time lunch is over."

"I hope so! Where did you lose your glasses? Maybe I can help you look for them after school."

"Ah! That won't be necessary, Himawari-chan, but thank you all the same! I actually meant that they're broken. I'll have to pick up some new ones." As he spoke he finished unstacking the lacquer boxes laden with food, placing them neatly beside each other. "Where's Shizuka? I thought he would be here with our drinks by now?"

"I heard that his teacher held him back after class let out. Apparently he wasn't paying any attention today, even reading letters in class…that's just not like him."

Watanuki stared into the distance, watching a bird flutter across the grounds. _I bet they were love letters from his fangirls_, he thought grumpily, then jumped as Himawari's face suddenly appeared in front of his, her glowing smile graced with perhaps a touch of playfulness. "So, when did you start addressing him by his given name?"

"I—what? I did no such thing! I don't know what you're talking about." To his horror, he realized that his cheeks were starting to get warm. Thinking about this morning was making him remember yesterday, which was _not_ something he wanted to think about right in front of Himawari-chan! His head pounded again, making him wince.

"I think it's wonderful! It just shows how close you two are! You sure are lucky to have such a strong bond!"

"No~o, Himawari-cha~n! How do you always come to that conclusion?" With wild flailing of his arms, Watanuki slipped into their comfortable old routine. "It's nothing like you think! Sh—Doumeki and I are just…just…"

"Just what?" asked a deadpan voice. Startled, Watanuki looked up to see the object of their argument standing over them with a handful of drinks from the vending machine, looking decidedly pissed off. Feeling a smidgen guilty, he stood and took the drinks from his hands. "Ah, we were just…you know…playing around."

"Which 'we'?" he asked, and now Watanuki felt certain that Doumeki was mad at _him_. Without a word the latecomer spun around and began walking away.

"W—where are you going?"

"Home. I'm not feeling well today."

As Watanuki watched him stalk off, he felt an odd sinking sensation in his stomach. Sounds were growing less distinct, colors less vibrant, even the air felt like the life was being drained out of it. Was it just because he was feeling bad about Doumeki leaving? No, something was really fading away, disappearing…

_Our contract is gone!_

Watanuki stared at the retreating figure in shock. Why? How? What happened? Every contract was supposed to last for a day! How could it… break? Yuuko's words drifted forward from the bottom of his recollections of yesterday. _Almost all contracts can be nullified by an opposite act of equal force._ Written contracts could be destroyed, handshakes could be…something. What was it for spoken contracts? Denied or renounced, something like that. He quickly reviewed his conversation with Himawari-chan, but he couldn't see how anything he had said could be taken as revoking his request for help. Denying the nature of their relationship, maybe, but nothing to do with the contract. Why did it break? It didn't make sense!

Collapsing onto the 'picnic' cloth, Watanuki's eyes sank to the drinks in his hands. There was a lemonade for Himawari, a fruit drink for him, and a green tea for Doumeki. Wrapped around the tea, oddly enough, was a white envelope, stuck by the condensation. Curious, he peeled it off and read the address. '_For Doumeki_.' Paying no regard to the fact that it wasn't for him, Watanuki broke the seal and pulled out the white card that was inside. Flipping it over, he stared at it in confusion. There was no message, yet it gave him a creepy feeling. Who would send Doumeki a blank card?

Watanuki ate his lunch in morose silence while Himawari chatted half-heartedly about nothing in particular, watching him with sad eyes. How quickly his mood had changed, even though Doumeki had said so little. When at last lunchtime was over, they had barely eaten anything. It just wasn't the same.

* * *

The next thing Watanuki knew, classes were over and he was trudging past the school gates with the rest of the masses. The second half of the day had been a blur; he didn't remember a single thing the teachers had said. He just wanted it to be over, and yet he also dreaded it ending. With a heavy heart he turned to head to Yuuko's shop, the rest of the crowd falling away and leaving him in silence.

He walked right past Yuuko before he pulled his eyes away from his feet and spotted her. Surprised, he trotted over to her side where she was leaning against a wall, shielding herself from the sun with a parasol. "Yuuko-san, what are you doing here? Are we going out somewhere today?"

"No," she replied, a grin twisting her lips. "But the most amusing thing happened to me this afternoon. A stray showed up across the street with a request. It seems that even when you two are fighting, your guard dog won't let you walk home alone."

"Doumeki…asked you to come?" he gaped. Guilt washed over him once more. Eyes dropping to the ground again, he shuffled after Yuuko, feeling the questions burn in his chest. Where to start? What should he say? What did Yuuko know already?

"Say…Yuuko-san?"

"Yes, Watanuki Kimihiro?"

"Can you tell me more about…contracts?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Suppose a contract broke, even though you didn't do anything that should have severed it. Why would that be?"

Yuuko turned her head and gazed at the crestfallen boy with sad eyes. "The most likely answer is that it was a different kind of contract then you thought it was. How was it formed?"

"This morning…I asked Doumeki for help just like I'm supposed to, and he agreed. Isn't that a spoken contract?"

"Was that all you did?"

Watanuki blushed, but they _hadn't_ kissed today, so that wasn't the problem. His forehead wrinkled as he tried to think of anything else, then suddenly he looked up and met her gaze in realization. "We agreed to start calling each other by our given names!"

"Ah, it all makes sense now. Your spoken contract was actually overridden by a stronger one: a contract of friendship. You formed one this morning with Doumeki, yet now…it is gone." Her eyelids slid lower as she stopped walking, peering at her employee through heavy eyelashes. She waited for the question.

"How…" he swallowed, then tried again. "How is a contract of friendship broken?" Somehow he knew he was going to regret the answer.

"By the perception of betrayal."

Watanuki stared at Yuuko with the shocked and injured expression of one who has just been slapped. Resuming her walk, she continued in an almost cheerfully businesslike tone. "I say _perception_ because a friendship can be ruined even if no betrayal has taken place, as long as one of members believes that it is so. It's rather tragic, actually, because it means that an outside party can break a contract that does not involve them, simply by sowing the seeds of doubt. But on the other hand, a contract broken in such a manner can be repaired by the restoration of truth and a renewal of faith. Very little can repair a true betrayal."

"Did—did"—and to Watanuki's shame he realized that his eyes were burning and his throat was growing so tight he could barely speak—"did anyone interfere in this case?"

Mercifully, Yuuko pretended she didn't notice his distress. "It's possible. Hand me that card in your pocket." Watanuki pulled it out in surprise; he had forgotten all about the mysterious blank note. Handing it to the Space-Time Witch, he watched her with pleading eyes as she studied it carefully. Her expression darkened as she announced her verdict. "This is a seed."

"What do you mean, seed? Maybe before it grew up and got used for paper…"

"It was sowed upon Doumeki by a plant, most likely before you two formed your contract today, while he was more vulnerable. It must have possessed a powerful force, to get past his natural defenses. Once planted, the seeds found fertile ground by inflaming his insecurities and aggravating his doubts. The text that is missing from this card," she gestured with the offending white slip, "no doubt served as the medium for communication between them. Though blank to us, the words must have had great affect on him, to cause a contract so long in the making to break so easily."

Watanuki digested this, trying to decide if such news was good or bad. "In the end, it means that the damage can be repaired…right?"

"It's not that simple. These aren't 'seeds of doubt' in the sense that they started the problem. The only reason they could take root is because their food was already present. If you want to remove these parasites, you must make their host unsuitable for consumption. In other words, you must identify and sooth the worries that originally formed in Doumeki's heart."

Heart sinking to his stomach, Watanuki felt his timid hope shrivel away. Sooth Doumeki's hidden worries? How? The man was as unreadable as a brick, how was he supposed to divine the secrets locked behind those golden eyes? What did he even know about the man anyway? He lived with his parents in a temple, and his grandfather was a powerful priest. He did well in all his classes, excelled at archery, and was thought favorably upon by all his peers. He was knowledgeable about folk tales and history, open minded about the world beyond his perception, levelheaded, dependable…perfect. Watanuki was all too aware of the many virtues of Doumeki; they had once annoyed him to no end, after all. Yet somehow, though he had at last allowed himself to admit that all those merits were, indeed, _merits_, he had not yet come to consider that the man was human just like himself. That he was not as rock-solid as his stony expressions led him to believe, but in fact possessed a flesh-and-blood, easily wounded heart. A heart so deceptively tender, in fact, that he kept it well guarded from showing upon his face.

_I'm…I'm a right rotten monster,_ Watanuki suddenly realized.

Like stones crashing upon his head, his actions the past few days flashed through his mind and weighed heavily upon his conscience. He had already stumbled upon the amazing discovery that Doumeki harbored desires for him that no man should have for another man, and even more amazingly, discovered that he _himself_ was not exactly adverse to the idea. And yet…he would never have treated Himawari-chan the way he was now treating his new 'boyfriend.' Things hadn't advanced between them because of heartfelt affections. They had advanced because Watanuki was full of pride, had found a weakness, and kept getting carried away by the heady rush of victory.

_What have I done? Is it any wonder he's full of doubts? He's practically handed his heart to me on a silver platter, and I've been spinning it on a stick for my own cheap after-dinner amusement!_

Yuuko watched the emotions play out across the young man's face with resigned sadness. She could imagine what her dear employee was thinking and knew it was a bitter lesson to learn, but also a necessary one. She waited until he had stewed it over long enough, then interrupted with an important observation. "I hope Doumeki is alright. Emotional damage may seem bad enough, but the plant that will grow from these seeds will pose quite a danger to his health now that the contract is gone and his powers have decreased in strength."

Alarm flooded though Watanuki as thoughts of tearing off in the direction of Doumeki's temple suddenly dominated his mind. For the first time, he realized that Yuuko had been leading him along the route that ran closest to his place. Of course. She probably knew something was wrong with Doumeki the moment she saw him outside her shop's entrance. A little warmth seeped in through his panic as he realized that he would always have an ally in Yuuko (even if her aid would always cost him.) As they grew closer to their destination he began thinking about the task at hand, and once again the problem of contracts tugged at his mind.

"Yuuko, are there any stronger, longer contracts? Those seeds might never have touched him this morning if only he'd still been protected. Or maybe, are there contracts that can't be broken?"

She stared into the distance, her expression blank. "Anything that can be created can also be destroyed. There exists nothing in this world or any other that cannot be undone. A contract is merely an agreement between two or more parties. It is the sincerity and effort of those involved that give a contract its strength." She sighed, and turned to face him once more. "As for contracts that last until nulled, instead of for a single day, there are many. Your vow of friendship this morning was one of them, actually. Any upgrade in the nature of a relationship is a contract, which is why people often choose to commemorate them with a physical symbol of their bond. An exchange of tokens is quite popular between friends and lovers. In some cultures the strongest of friendships are marked by the mingling of blood. Marriage is a multifold contract, consisting of anything and everything from spoken vows, written signatures, exchanging tokens and names, and the merging of bodies and souls. That is why they leave so much damage behind when broken."

As silence filled in the space left by Yuuko's words, the Buddhist temple that served as Doumeki's family home finally came into view. Watanuki stared at the gate entrance with apprehension as it inevitably grew closer with every step. He still felt woefully unprepared. Doumeki was the one who always rescued _him_, not the other way around. The problems were never Doumeki's fault, either. But no matter how much he wanted to curl up in a ball right now and drown in his own guilt, he knew it wouldn't solve anything. More than hurt feelings were at stake right now; he had no time to hide from what needed to be done under the pretense of 'working up his nerve.'

This time Doumeki was the vulnerable one, and it was up to Watanuki to protect him.

"What do you plan to do?" Yuuko asked.

At last, Watanuki felt his resolve harden into iron determination as he found his answer. "Everything I can. Until we are together again."

The Dimensional Witch smiled as she watched him walk boldly across the threshold and slowly disappear from her sight. It was a sign of how much the boy had changed, she reflected, that he could finally say such a thing about the one person from whom he had tried so hard to stay apart.

* * *

Hundreds of small white slips of paper fluttered in the breeze on the tree branches that they had been tied around. The lower bows of the pine tree looked as though they had been covered by a heavy snow. Once Watanuki realized that Doumeki was not inside the temple, it did not take long to find him, simply because the blaze of white was so out of place. As he approached he spotted the object of his search, sitting against the base of the tree and surrounded by a snowdrift of more paper that had yet to be tied. He knew in his heart that those white cards were not merely omikuji with poor fortunes.

"Isn't this the wrong kind of temple for that?"

Doumeki raised his head, revealing the dark circles under his blank eyes. Vines encircled his legs and arms, tying him to the ground. For a moment they stared at each other in silence, and Watanuki feared that Doumeki was going to decide to ignore him, until he finally responded. "Grandfather was a Shinto priest, actually." His gaze settled lower to the pile on his lap. "I was hoping that if I tied them up properly they would stop coming back, but…" He shrugged, and a few pieces of white fluttered down from the tree to land upon his slouched form. As Watanuki looked closer, he could see that the pieces of paper were not fluttering in the wind as he had first thought, but were in fact gently wriggling themselves free. The sight sent a cold shiver up his spine.

Sitting down beside him, he picked one up and smoothed it out, wishing he could read it. The task set before him seemed enormous. The determination he had marched in with was withering away simply because he couldn't figure out how to begin. Logic said he should start at the beginning, but what was that? The beginning of this day? The moment he realized that Doumeki was attracted to him? The start of their partnership for his safety? When they first met?

Perhaps, he realized, he should start at the end instead.

"Yuuko told me that our contract broke today because you felt betrayed," he spoke softly. Doumeki merely stared at him with his glazed eyes, so he continued. "This morning we agreed to more than a temporary partnership, we agreed to be friends. It was supposed to be a turning point in how we treat each other, and yet at lunch I was running my mouth off and denying it, denying _you_, just like always. Maybe old habits are hard to break, but that's no excuse for what I said. I know how much this means to you, and yet my resolve was only skin-deep. You…you have every right to be furious with me."

There was a long pause, filled only with the unnatural rustling of paper. The vines crept a little higher up his arms. "I'm not angry," Doumeki finally said.

"Well you _should_ be!" Watanuki shouted, an icy shudder running through his heart. This wasn't the way his rival-turned-guardian should be acting! His steely eyes shouldn't be so vacant, his strong arms shouldn't be lying so limply at his sides. Doumeki was stronger than anyone; he should be sitting here looking so _defeated!_ "I've been a jerk! I'm a horrible bastard who's been yanking your chain and not taking you seriously and taking advantage of your feelings to make myself feel superior! There, I said it!"

Two things occurred to Watanuki simultaneously: that he had probably just confirmed half of what those nasty slips of paper had been saying, and that there was another reason why Doumeki was lying there and not fighting back. Doumeki was a very strong, very disciplined man. He had pride in his control and his ability to take care of himself. It was part of the reason Watanuki had hated him so much at first; he had the same pride, but not the ability to back it.

This was the first time Doumeki had been defeated by one of the spirits he was supposed to be so powerful against.

And now Watanuki realized that he'd walked into a battle that he could not win. Telling the truth would prove that the foul plant's whispers were right, and Doumeki would despair and be devoured. But disproving the notes would prove that Doumeki's doubts were unfounded; that he'd been full of weakness, and his broken pride would hold him in misery until he'd been devoured.

Watanuki gritted his teeth. How on earth could he save him? For once, he was the one whose help was needed, and he was _still_ useless! "You're not weak, you know! Everyone has doubts. Hell, I'm a walking, talking bundle of insecurities! Why do you think I tried to push you away for so long? Next to you, I'm the most pathetic waste of space in Japan. You're everything I'm not, and I hated you for it! The fact that this monster was able to affect you so just proves that you're human!"

Watanuki loomed over him breathing hard, his fists clenched and trembling, but Doumeki merely stared at him with the same tired expression, the vines crawling further up his arms and reaching for his torso. Feeling desperation choke his throat like the pain that comes from too much crying, he collapsed to his knees and started dashing the little white papers to the side. Grabbing one of the encroaching vines, he snapped its stem and ripped it away. As he reached for the next one, however, it sprouted thorns like a rose, not touching its victim but daring the rescuer to continue.

Watanuki only hesitated for a moment. He may never be able to cook again if he didn't stop now, but it occurred to him that if he _did_ he would have no one he wanted to cook _for_.

They were every bit as painful as he thought they'd be. Tears quickly blurred his vision and his hands grew slick and red, but bit-by-bit he pried the parasitic plant away from Doumeki's unresisting form. Partly to distract himself from the pain, and partly to snap some life back into his friend, he began babbling in a cracking voice. "Is it so bad to be human? If you weren't you'd be just another one of those monsters that have plagued me all my life. These past few days have been showing me how human and vulnerable you really are. And maybe I was taking advantage of that at first, but I really was happy. To think that someone like you could find something attractive about a nobody like me… it really…made me… happy…" He paused to try to clear the tears from his vision with the back of his hand, but only succeeded in smearing blood across his face and getting salt in his wounds. He hissed with pain and cursed his stupidity.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get along with you. I'm sorry I took advantage of your feelings. I'm sorry I'm such a terrible friend! I'm sorry…that I gave you so much reason to doubt. I'm sorry that…the one time you need me…I can't do a damn thing…" His grief overwhelming him, his voice leaving him, Watanuki peered through his tears for any more straggling vines. Most were scattered around them in the grass, beginning to shrivel up, some were stuck to his ragged hands like spider webs, and…there were none left on Doumeki. Staring in disbelief, he could only watch numbly as the little white notes blew in the non-existent wind like so many leaves trying to cover his lap. His hands were in too much pain to open the crumpled ones, but one sat obligingly open on the top of the stack for him to read.

'_You saved his body, but were too late to save his mind_.'

Watanuki started to laugh, and could not stop.

* * *

Perhaps the hysterical laughter coming from that blood smeared face stirred Doumeki's sense of _wrongness_. Perhaps Watanuki's pleading arguments found root with his logical mind. Maybe the realization that the plant had left him renewed his strength, or pricked his pride. Or maybe it was just the sight of Watanuki wobbling away, coaxing those damned little notes to follow him like baby ducklings with his red-splattered hands.

Whatever it was, Doumeki found his senses returning to him along with that rock-solid conviction that lived in his very soul; _No matter how he feels about me,_ _I must keep him safe_.

Testing out his feet and finding that they would support him as always, he rose from the ground and closed in on the one he loved, stomping vindictively on a few of the tumbling pieces of paper. "What do you think you're doing?" he growled.

Watanuki turned around and stared at him in surprise, then burst into a brilliant grin that made his stomach leap to his throat, even if the grin was on a face puffy from crying and smeared with blood and tears. "_I'm_ saving _you_."

Doumeki paused a moment, letting his stomach slide back down where it belonged, and tightened his lips into a disapproving frown. Watanuki noticed and let his own grin fade. "Relax, I won't die. I'm used to living with doubt." A shadow crossed his eyes and he turned away, the white papers tumbling after his feet. Doumeki stared in shock, or as shocked as he was capable of being, anyway, before running ahead and blocking the other boy's path.

"How can you be so sure? You know you're weak against spirits, and this one was strong enough to get past my repelling nature!"

The shorter boy gazed at him as he pondered the question, his eyes already taking on the vacant cast Doumeki was sure he must been wearing himself only moments ago. "Well," he replied after a moment, "at least _you'll_ live."

A surge of anger creased Doumeki's brow as he fisted Watanuki's shirt. "I thought we'd had this conversation before!" He rumbled through gritted teeth. "That'd you'd stop thoughtlessly sacrificing your life for others!"

"This is an exception," he replied calmly. His arms dangled limply by his sides, unable even if they were willing to protest his rough treatment.

"WHY?" he yelled in his face, showing more anger than he'd ever allowed himself before. "What makes this different than every other time?"

"This time its for the one I love most," he said softly, his eyes still cloudy but with sadness, not insanity.

Doumeki felt his fury leave him like waking up suddenly from a bad dream.

* * *

Watanuki felt the presence of the doubt seeds fluttering around his feet for attention, but ignored them. He didn't need to read them to know what they said. His hands felt like they were being tormented by stinging insects that injected pure fire, but he did his best to ignore them too. All that mattered was that he was finally, _finally_, sure of his feelings, and even if it was too late to save their relationship, at least he had admitted them while he still could.

Doumeki's face had gone completely blank at his confession. Not that he could blame him. He'd pretty much admitted that every horrible doubt that plagued the taller boy was true, and _now_ he claimed to love him. How could he believe him? Even if he did, how could he still love him in return after the way he'd been treated?

The silence stretched on uncomfortably long. At last Doumeki let go of the shirt he was clenching and slumped forward, resting his forehead on Watanuki's chest and his hands on his shoulders.

"Oi."

Watanuki stayed silent, refusing to let his expectations or hopes cloud his perception of what was really happening. This was too important.

"Why don't we make a new contract." It was phrased as a question even if it wasn't spoken like one, which Watanuki found to be an endearing concession.

"Alright. What kind?"

Doumeki raised his head and looked him in the eye, removing one hand from his shoulder to wipe gently at the smudges on his temples. The blood was already dried, but he appreciated the gesture. The hand moved to grip him firmly by the chin instead, even though his piercing golden eyes were already doing a stellar job at freezing him to the spot.

"I, Doumeki Shizuka, swear that from now on I will trust you as much as I love you."

_Oh_.

Watanuki was grateful for the grip on his chin, for a light squeeze helped him remember that breathing is necessary for living. He was also grateful for the hand on his shoulder, because it kept him standing upright without forcing him to find purchase with his own hands, the use of which would have thoroughly spoiled the moment.

He found himself speaking before he'd even considered what he should say in return.

"A-and I, Watanuki Kimihiro, swear from now on that I will love you as much as I trust you."

The softening of Doumeki's eyes and the smile that borrowed his lips were so mesmerizing that Watanuki didn't even notice the way his hands had stopped actively burning, or the absence of the sound of rustling paper.

Neither one was sure who initiated the kiss, but it lasted long enough that Yuuko finally approached them and coughed politely, cheerily reminding them that someone still needed to be patched up.

* * *

Watanuki stared at his hands, which had been thoroughly cleansed, treated and gently wrapped by Doumeki. The latter part had seemed to venture away from the clinical and more towards the sensual, in his opinion. It had left him rather flustered, and the way Doumeki's gaze was currently burning a hole into the side of his head was not helping. They were seated together on a pile of cushions in one of the temple rooms, Yuuko lounging similarly across the way and grinning madly.

"Um…so…Yuuko! I guess you're going to charge me for the advice you gave me this afternoon, huh?"

"Oh don't worry, I'm getting my payment _right now_," she leered.

Doumeki moved closer and seemed to trap him to the cushions with the way his eyes were smoldering.

"D—Shizuka, I'm afraid I won't be able to make your lunch for a while. You'll have to wait a bit until I can apologize properly for breaking our first contract today." He laughed nervously.

"That's alright, _Kimihiro_," he murmured, and Watanuki shivered all over before glancing apprehensively at their audience. Doumeki moved even closer until he really was pinning him, his heavier frame radiating heat above him yet not quite touching. Watanuki found that half the blood in his body had rushed to his face. The other half had rushed—somewhere else. "There are ways you can repay me that don't use your hands."

"_Shizuka!_"

* * *

At long last, this story comes to a close. Those of you who were reading from the beginning: I'm so, so sorry that took so long! Thank you for sticking through all the way to end! To those who were lucky enough not to come across this story until it was done: I hope you enjoyed it! If so, please leave me a review! I do love thoughtful critiques, but even a simple "Well, it didn't suck _that_ bad" is appreciated. :D


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